


Escape the Night: The Clowns Here Kill Part 1

by Dede42



Series: Escape the Night Season 3 [2]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: 1970s, Artifacts, Carnival, Carnival Games, Character Death, Cotten Candy, Curses, F/M, Ferris Wheel, Knives, Map - Freeform, Motorcycles, Popcorn, Resurrection, carousal, funhouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42
Summary: Joey has been brought back from the dead to save the Town of Everlock with Dawn's help, and they both have signed a contract to do it. They have invited different friends to go on the mission with them, and they have to keep the truth a secret.How long can Dawn and Joey keep their secret? Will they be able to save Everlock? Or will the Carnival Master gain his freedom?
Relationships: Curtis Knight (OC)/Esther Bourne (OC)
Series: Escape the Night Season 3 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916947
Comments: 89
Kudos: 5





	1. PROLOGUE: THE CONTRACT

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, it is time for the first episode of Season 3! Onward!

**PROLOGUE: THE CONTRACT**

*****

Joey Graceffa reached past the still form of the Sorceress, reaching for the Crown of Oblivion that was resting on the step above her head. Although Dawn was saying it was a bad idea, he was focused on getting the crown, breaking the spell, and _finally_ getting them all home to their friends and loved ones. “Ok,” he whispered. “I got it.” He grabbed the crown.

Suddenly, the Sorceress’ eyes snapped open, grabbed Joey’s wrist, and pulled her other hand from behind her back, revealing that she was clutching a knife. Before he could react, she screamed and plunged the knife into his chest, forcing him backwards and they both fell onto the floor.

“Joey!” Dawn screamed and her whole body lit up as the Light responded to her. While the others were freaking out and backing away, she ran forward as the Sorceress sat up and pulled the knife out, raising it to stab her friend a second time, and she grabbed the evil woman’s wrists, yanking her away. “No! No, you’re not going to hurt him anymore!”

Joey was wheezing and still holding the crown, somehow, in his right hand. Lifting his head a little, he could just make out Dawn fighting with the Sorceress, and to him, his best friend was looking like an angel with the Light surrounding her. “Donny…” he whispered, feeling his strength fading, and he knew that he was dying. _‘Donny, I’m sorry. I’m_ so _sorry.’_ He lowered his head back onto the floor, unable to keep it up any longer.

Dawn could hear Joey’s whisper and her determination to stop the Sorceress grew, powering the Light. “This night is going to end _now!_ ” she screamed, her angry boiling out of control as she tightened her grips on the evil woman’s wrists, making her cry out in pain as she sank to her knees. “You have put us through _hell_ , you _forced_ us to kill our friends for your _sick_ game! No more! _No more!_ ”

With an unexpected scream, the Sorceress managed to wrench her right hand, which had the knife, free and she slashed the Light-bearer across her right forearm. “ _No!_ ”

“Agh!” Dawn screamed, clutching her forearm as the Light faded, but didn’t disappear completely, and she fell backwards onto the floor, gasping in pain, and she watched helplessly as the Sorceress crawled back to Joey. “No! Joey, _no!_ ”

Still screaming, the Sorceress raised the knife again and stabbed Joey in the chest a second time, making him scream out, his back arching in pain before he went limp, dying instantly. _‘I’m sorry, Donny. I’m-’_

*****

Suddenly, Joey opened his eyes and found himself somewhere else, and he was still dressed in the Victorian outfit that he’d died in. But he had the coat on and there was no blood on the shirt from where he’d been stabbed twice. “What the…?” he muttered and took a look around wherever it was he was now located.

The sky was dark and stormy, ahead of him was a carnival, devoid of people, and beyond it some kind of town. Sensing something behind him, he turned and found the entrance to a bridge. The entrance was red and was shaped like a giant cutout of a demon’s face. _‘Definitely_ not _heaven,’_ he thought, _‘not unless they have a_ really _strange sense of humor.’_

Feeling drawn toward whatever was beyond the bridge, Joey stepped through the entrance, crossed the bridge, and followed a path through a dark fog.

*****

Joey wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking, but eventually he saw in the distance a small white church, where there was a blonde woman and an Asian man waiting for him. _‘Justine? Alex?’_ he wondered, heading toward them since that was where he was sure he was being drawn to, and if it was two of his late friends, then that probably meant that they were there to throw him into hell for what he’d done.

As he got closer, he saw that it wasn’t either of his dead friends, instead, the blonde woman was dressed in brown leather, like an Amazon, and the Asian man, whose arms were crossed in front of his chest, was dressed in black leather, almost like a member of the Dark Army, and both had a badge with the symbol for the Society Against Evil on their outfits. _‘Ok, I was wrong,’_ he thought, but he was still concerned since there was something strange about wherever it was he’d ended up.

Reaching them, Joey saw that there was a table between them with what looked like some kind of contract, and behind them, he saw that the doors to the church was open: inside, he could see some kind of amber prison with a shadowy figure trapped inside, and through the windows behind the prison, he could see a white light.

“Where am I?” he asked finally, looking at the two Society members, who he was certain were dead, just like him.

“You are in the World Between Worlds, Joey,” the Asian man answered, uncrossing his arms. “Also known as Limbo and Purgatory, the realm between the living and the dead.”

Joey should’ve been surprised that this man knew his name, but he wasn’t, and when the blonde woman spoke next, he looked at her instead.

“I have a way for you to get back.”

“You do?” Joey asked, feeling slightly hopeful, but given what he’d been through, twice now, he was certain that there had to be a catch, and whatever that catch was, it probably wasn’t going to be good either.

“But,” the blonde woman continued, “you will need the help of the Light-bearer, and your friends will need to die.”

Joey felt his heart sink into his stomach. _‘Not_ again _,’_ he thought, preparing himself to refuse since he would rather stay dead and then put Dawn and more of his friends through hell… _again. ‘I was_ right _, it’s a twist and a bad one at that.’_

However, before he could object, the blonde woman explained _exactly_ what was needed to be done, and he had a change of heart, nodding in agreement.

The blonde woman then removed a knife from her belt and handed it to him. Joey swallowed as he accepted the knife, hating himself for what he was about to do as they both put a hand on his shoulders to both give him support and keep him from running, which he _was_ tempted to do. Bracing himself, he sliced the palm of his left hand, making him gasp in pain and he grimaced.

Joey watched as his blood dripped onto the parchment for several seconds before balling his hand into a fist to stop the blood, and he held his fist close as he signed his name with his own blood with his finger.

“This contract binds you to Everlock,” the blonde woman stated. “Save the town, and you will return to the living. Fail, and be lost among the dead forever.”

Once he was done signing, and his signature glowed briefly, Joey picked up the contract as they removed their hands from his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the path, and walked away as everything around him went white.

*****

Inside a wooden coffin rested the body of Joey Graceffa, who still had the Crown of Oblivion resting on his head. Suddenly, the center gem on the crown glowed, and his eyes snapped open as he took in a deep breath and coughed as his lungs struggled to catch up with him, clearly having forgotten how to work.

He didn’t know where he was or why his left hand was throbbing, but he was alive, and he felt around with his right hand, finding that he was in a coffin. “Help!” he shouted, his voice raspy as he banged on the lid, finding that it wasn’t locked, and so he pushed on it, determined to get out. “I’m not dead! Let me out!”

Joey shoved the lid open so hard that it went crashing onto the stone floor while he sat up and blinked in the bright light of the stone room that he was now in, and there were other people there, too.

“Get him out of there now,” a familiar male voice ordered and the next thing Joey knew, some of the people were helping him out of the coffin, which was a good thing since his legs weren’t working too well, and onto a nearby stretcher. He was vaguely aware of someone removing the crown from his head, not that he really cared as he was too freaked out by what was going on, and he still didn’t know why his left hand was hurting.

Now lying on the stretcher, Joey was on the verge of a panic attack and was clutching the side of the stretcher with his right hand since his left hand was still hurting so badly, when James McCoy approached the stretcher. “Joey,” he said and he looked at the older man. “Breath, breath, you’re back and you’re going to be fine. Just breath and relax.” He nodded and could feel his body relaxing as he focused on his breathing, and he stopped gripping the side of the stretcher.

Dr. Caroline Green joined them and James stepped aside while she ordered her medical team to get Joey up to the infirmary. “We’re going to take good care of you, Joey,” she reassured the young man as the stretcher was wheeled out of the room.

*****

Later in the infirmary, Joey was resting in one of the beds, having had his left hand stitched and bandaged, clothes changed, and had been given a full checkup along with some medications to counteract any ill affects from the toxin that’d been on the knife. He’d been told that it’d been a month since the incident with the Sorceress, that the knife had had a toxin on it that had played a large part in him dying, and that the world had believed him to be missing in action by way of the cover story that the Society Against Evil had provided.

Joey hadn’t been thrilled to hear this, but it made sense in a way, and now that he was alive, he was eager to get back together with his friends, with Daniel, and his life. _‘But I can’t,’_ he thought, staring at the ceiling of the infirmary. _‘Not until I competed my mission.’_ Seeing the cut on his hand had enabled him to recall most of the deal that he’d made to come back, and while he wasn’t looking forward to it, he knew that he had to save the town of Everlock if he wanted to remain alive.

*****

It was two weeks before Dr. Green allowed Joey to leave the infirmary with new clothing and the instructions to not over do it and, after promising that he wouldn’t, he had gone to see James. By this point, they had all been relocated to a new safe house. When he went to see James in the study, it was there that he’d learned about the prophecy that he and Dawn were connected to, and while this had made him angry, knowing that it hadn’t been kept from him or Dawn on purpose only slightly helped improve his mood.

Now, however, he had to get ready for the mission that laid ahead, and that meant that he would be reunited with Dawn soon. Once that happen, they both would have to send out invites to others to take part in the mission, even though that meant more people were going to die in order to save Everlock from the evil that was hiding there.

*****

It’d been a year since the incident with the Sorceress and two years since the incident with the 1920s house, and the families of the victims held a memorial service to remember the lives of those who’d died during the two incidents. Dawn Hatcher went to the memorial service with Oli White, Eva Gutowski, Andrea Russett, and Tyler Oakley to remember their lost friends, and while it did hurt to some degree, it was important to them all, being the survivors of both incidents.

*****

Some time after the memorial service was over, the group went back to Dawn’s California house so that they could talk about a certain topic that they didn’t want anyone else to know about: the Society Against Evil and the prophecy. Dawn had decided, after agreeing to have James McCoy teach and train her about the Light and being a Light-bearer, to share what she’d learned with Oli, Eva, Andrea, and Tyler.

She _had_ considered telling Daniel, too, but felt that it wouldn’t be fair to him to give him false hope, especially since she’d chosen not to tell him that Joey was dead, and that his body had gone missing that day at the Victorian mansion.

Of course, they did have to first avoid the ever-annoying newspaper reporter and blogger, Jermaine Whitehouse, who just _couldn’t_ take a hint that there was nothing else they could tell him beyond the cover stories provided by the Society Against Evil, the current location of the still-missing Joey Graceffa, or _anything_ about the Society Against Evil itself.

Her friends hadn’t been too thrilled about her working with the Society Against Evil, but they figured that if the Society could help her understand the Light, and they were concerned about the prophecy itself.

*****

“So, anything about the prophecy?” Oli asked as they sat at a table on the back porch, after managing to avoid Jermaine, which _hadn’t_ been easy. “Anything new?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nothing different about it, and James said that he’s getting close to narrowing the location down,” she answered. “And before you ask, there’s nothing new about Joey either. I asked, I really did.”

“I hate the thought of you having to go through this a third time, Donny,” Eva said unhappily.

“Yeah, it isn’t fair,” Andrea agreed. “Why does it have to be you?”

Dawn sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve asking myself that same question for the last two years, and it just happens to be me.”

“It sucks,” Tyler stated and they all agreed.

“Dawn,” said Oli with a thoughtful expression. “Although I hate to have this happen to you, but if you need _any_ help with this mission, you can count me in. Even though the thought of going through that kind of hell again _terrifies_ me, I’m will to help.”

“Same here,” Eva agreed, and both Andrea and Tyler nodded. For they had had been talking about this among themselves for the past few months, and they didn’t want their friend to do this on her own, if it turned out to be the case.

Dawn smiled, touched by her friends’ offers of help. “Thanks, guys,” she said gratefully. “But I rather none of you have to go through this again, either. Thanks for the offer, though.”

*****

After seeing her friends off, Dawn went back inside her house and into the living room, where there was a collection of framed photos on the mantle above the fireplace, and she looked at a photo of herself, Joey, and Daniel from when they had gone to Disneyland before the events of the 1920s house. _‘I had planned on us going back there,’_ she thought sadly. _‘But it never happened.’_

If the prophecy was right and she was going to be reunited with Joey somehow, she hoped that it would be soon, because all of this waiting was probably going to drive her crazy before the year was out. Ever since the incident with the Sorceress and agreeing to let James teach and train her so that she could use the Light, she’d been waiting for the day that the third mission would occur, and the longer she had to wait, the more impatient she was becoming.

_‘But I_ need _to be patient,’_ Dawn thought, turning from the photos. _‘I just have to be patient just a little bit longer.’_

*****

A month after the memorial service, Dawn returned from England, having been filming for the upcoming season of _Doctor Who_ , and she was heading to her car that was in the long-term parking lot, while talking on her cellphone with her agent. He was trying to talk her into working on the sequel to _Stephen King’s It_ , and she wasn’t about to work on a horror film.

“Forget it,” Dawn objected for what felt like the hundredth time. “I am _not_ working on a horror movie of _any_ kind. Yes, I did make an exception with _Winchester,_ but that wasn’t an outright horror movie. Yes, I know that James McAvoy is going to be in the movie, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t do _horror_ movies, and I know that it says so in my contract.” She’d reached her car by this point and was getting the keys out of her pocket. “No, don’t you say that it doesn’t, I know for a fact that it does, and you have a copy of it in your files.” She sighed, listening to her agent while she unlocked the trunk to put her luggage in it. “It’s not about the money – no it has _never_ been about the money.”

Dawn rolled her eyes as she finished putting her luggage in the trunk and shut it. “Yes, in a way it _does_ have to do with my cultural raising _and_ what I’ve gone through the last two years,” she admitted. “But that still doesn’t excuse the fact that I won’t do it. Yes, I did do _The Dark Tower_ , but it isn’t horror – yes, I know that it’s also by Stephen King, but that’s beside the point.”

She was about to unlock the driver-side door when she looked up at the sound of car engines and two black cars with a certain gold symbol on the doors pulled up on either side of her. “Um, something just came up and I’ll call you back,” she said, flipping her cellphone shut before her agent could react and pocketed it as four men, from both cars, got out and joined her. “I’m guessing that I’m needed?”

One of the men nodded. “Yes, our employer needs to see you right away, Ms. Hatcher.”

Figuring as much, Dawn handed her keys to one of the men, who was going to drive her car, and went with the other men to one of the cars. She climbed into the backseat with one man, while the other men went back to the other cars, and soon enough, they all left the parking lot.

*****

Some time later, the cars pulled up in front of what Dawn knew was a safe house for the Society Against Evil, and by this point, she’d given up trying to figure out how many they had in California, especially since it made her brain hurt whenever she tried. Getting out of the car, the man escorted her up the stairs and into the foyer, where there was a woman waiting.

“Welcome, Ms. Hatcher,” said the woman, gesturing to a set of double doors. “Mr. McCoy will be joining you in the study shortly.”

“Thank you,” Dawn said and went to wait in the study, wondering what was going on that would keep James from calling her first before sending someone to pick her up. _‘It must be serious, and it might have to do with the prophecy.’_

*****

In the study, Joey was sitting on the couch and reading a book. Earlier, he’d been told to wait in there for James, and that had been an hour ago. He was engrossed in a book about the _Dark Army_ , having briefly joined them last year in order to get one of the gems, when he heard the doors open, and he looked up to see a familiar young woman walk in. “Dawn!”

Dawn froze in place, staring in shock at Joey, who’d dropped the book he’d been reading as he stood up, and it was several hour-long seconds before she could move – and the next thing she knew, she was running across the room and hugging him tightly. “Joey!”

“Donny,” Joey whispered, also hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. “Oh God. Donny…”

“Joey,” Dawn repeated, relieved to see him alive and well. “Oh man, it’s been a _year._ I saw you _die._ I tried to save you – but – but I _couldn’t_.”

Joey sighed and convinced her to sit on the couch with him, not letting go of her hands, and he could tell that she wasn’t about to let go of him either. “I know, and I’m sorry that I didn’t reach out to you sooner,” he apologized. “And just for the record, I was only _mostly_ dead, according to Dr. Green.”

Dawn couldn’t help but snicker at _The Princess Bride_ reference. “Fine, fine, you were _mostly_ dead for close to a year,” she conceded. “Joey, James told me that your body had gone missing from the mansion after the spell had been broken. So, how are you here?”

“Actually, it’s best if I answer that question,” James said from the doorway, startling them both. “Hello, Dawn.” And he went to sit across from them on the other couch as she nodded in greeting. “There is much to talk about, and not a lot of time to do it in.”

*****

Several hours went by and now, after Dawn expressed her disappointment in James not telling her the truth about where Joey had been that whole time, they were going over what information that the Society had on the town of Everlock, and there wasn’t a whole lot to go on, not even online and that had been a shock to Joey. Not even the extensive archives of the Society had very much on the town of Everlock, save for a mission report about an incident that’d taken place in the town before it disappeared forty years ago.

“What is known,” said James, pouring them all another round of tea. “Is that three Society members traveled to Everlock to stop a minion of the Cursed God from destroying the town, which they locked in time, and there was no word from any of them since.”

“It’s possible whoever this minion is,” Dawn guessed, sipping the tea, “probably killed them, and you must’ve met two of them when you were in the World Between Worlds, Joey.”

Joey nodded. “It makes sense,” he agreed. “I do recall that the minion was called the Carnival Master, and he’s the one that we’ll need to defeat in order to save Everlock.”

“And keep you from dying again,” Dawn added, picking up the contract and looked at it, still amazed that her friend had _actually_ signed it in blood of all things. “Uh, where did this part come from?” she asked, pointing to a line that was now under the line where Joey had signed the contract. “This wasn’t here before, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Joey agreed, frowning, and then he and his friend exchanged identical looks of alarm. “Oh no…”

James took the contract from her and looked it over before sighing. “Well, I know how much you both hate plot twists, but it looks like you’ll have to sign this, too,” he said and the brunette groaned, burying her face in her arms on the table.

“You know,” Dawn said from inside her arms. “I’m _really_ starting to miss the days when I only had to deal with jerks either at filming locations or at events I’ve been invited to.” She peered over her arms. “So, _how_ am I suppose to sign that contract without dying?”

“You’re _really_ going to sign it?” Joey asked, surprised.

“Of course,” said the brunette, straightening up. “I’m not about to let you go off on this insane mission without me. We’re in this together as always, prophecy or no prophecy.”

James chuckled. “You won’t have to die, Dawn,” he assured her, folding up the contract. “And Dr. Green has a way that will allow you to go to the same place that Joey went to. Come with me.” And he lead them out of the study.

*****

“Let me get this straight,” Dawn said, having been told how she was going to travel to the World Between Worlds. “Basically, you’re going to have me pull an _Inception_?” And when she got confirming nods from both James and Dr. Green, she covered her face with one hand, groaning. “Oh my gosh, _how_ do I get into these kind of situations?”

Joey snickered and pushed her to the bed that they both were going to lie down on. “Come on, Donny,” he teased. “You know you _want_ to do this.”

“Joey, I swear that your sense of humor has gotten worst since you died,” the brunette retorted, shooting him a look, and he just grinned in response.

“All right you two,” said Dr. Green, sounding like an exasperated mother while James was just shaking his head. “Enough, there isn’t any time to waste.”

Knowing that she was right, Joey and Dawn got onto the bed, lying side-by-side, and he took her right hand into his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Both of them winced a little as the IV needles were inserted into their arms, and they did their best to remain calm while Dr. Green reminded them that since Joey was their link to the World Between Worlds, Dawn would travel there on her own.

“Are you both ready?” James asked, and when both Joey and Dawn nodded, he nodded to Dr. Green, who started the IV drips.

It wasn’t very long before Joey and Dawn started feeling drowsy, and they both drifted off into a deep sleep.

*****

Dawn opened her eyes and found herself somewhere else, and since she was alone, she figured that this had to be the World Between Worlds. The sky was dark and stormy, ahead of her was a carnival, devoid of people, and beyond it some kind of town. Sensing something behind her, she turned and found the entrance to a bridge. The entrance was red and was shaped like a giant cutout of a demon’s face.

“Ok,” she said to herself, “I can see why Joey thought he was probably in hell when he first ended up here.” Feeling drawn, she took a deep breath, stepped through the entrance, and she crossed the bridge, following the path through the dark fog.

*****

Dawn wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d been walking before she finally saw the white church in the distance. _‘This must be the church,’_ she thought, heading toward it along the path and it wasn’t long before she saw the blonde woman and the Asian man waiting in front of the building. “Show time,” she whispered to herself.

“Welcome, Light-bearer,” said the blonde woman when the brunette reached them. “We’ve been waiting for you, Dawn.”

“You know why you are here?” the Asian man asked.

Dawn nodded. “Yes,” she said, looking between them. “This has to do with the contract that Joey signed. But I don’t know what the full deal he made with you to sign it in the first place. He doesn’t remember everything.”

“That is to be expected,” said the blonde woman, stepping closer to the brunette, having taken the knife from her belt, and when Dawn flinched away, the Asian man gripped her shoulder to stop her. “You’re not meant to die here, Dawn,” she added, and she told the brunette _everything_ about the deal.

“Oh my gosh,” Dawn whispered, realizing why Joey had made the deal, and while she was terrified of what she was about to do, she knew that this deal was going to be worth the risk. “Ok,” she agreed, accepting the knife, and wasn’t surprised when the blonde woman put a hand on her other shoulder. _‘I better not end up regretting this.’_

Taking a deep breath, Dawn cut the palm of her left hand, gasping in pain, and put the knife down so that she could put her right hand on the table to brace herself while her blood dripped onto the contract. Taking more deep breaths, she balled her hand into a fist to stop the blood while straightening up, and she then used the blood to sign her name on the contract, directly below Joey’s name, and her signature glowed briefly once she was done.

“This contract now binds you to Everlock,” the blonde woman informed the brunette as she removed her hand and took back the knife, and the Asian man removed his hand, too. “Save the town, and you will help Joey return to the land of the living. Fail, and you both will be lost among the dead forever.”

“I – I understand,” Dawn agreed, picking up the contract and she walked back down the path as everything went white.

*****

Dawn woke with a gasp and pain lanced through her left hand. “Oh God!” she whimpered as Joey helped her sit up and he held her close as she trembled while Dr. Green removed the IV and a nurse treated and stitched up the cut, which was proof that she’d done it. “Oh my- I – I – can’t believe that I just did _that!_ ”

Joey looked over at James, who was holding the contract, and sure enough, he could see that his best friend had signed it. “Well, we’re both in for the long haul now,” he remarked and the brunette just nodded, still shaken from the experience.

They had their mission and now they were going to have to invite others to take part, which mean more people were going to die in order to save Everlock from The Carnival Master, and if they failed, then they would die instead and the prophecy wouldn’t be fulfilled, leaving the world in grave danger from the Cursed God and his minions.

*****

An hour later, James called Joey and Dawn into the study, and showed them that there had been a change to the prophecy. “Apparently, by signing that contract, Dawn, another section of the prophecy has been revealed.”

Setting the prophecy on the desk, they read the new section together.

_When the four are revealed and evil is strong._

_Four stones will be found and cleansed._

_Together, the four will restore the two._

“This makes _no sense_ ,” Dawn stated.

“I’m with Dawn, this is confusing,” Joey agreed.

Even James was confused by what the new section of the prophecy meant. “Well, It will probably make sense after the mission.”

“Maybe.”


	2. CHAPTER ONE: TIME TO INVITE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Dawn and Joey have finally been reunited and it's time for them to go. Who will they invite? Onward!

**CHAPTER ONE: TIME TO INVITE**

*****

A full month after signing the contract and reading the new section of the prophecy, Dawn and Joey were ready to send out the invitations to a new set of YouTubers to help them save the town of Everlock from the Carnival Master.

Along with helping with the research of who to invite, the Society Against Evil had also helped them both with the clothing they would need to wear, and Dawn, after getting her own hair cut short, convinced Joey to let her change the color of his hair from its’ normal brown to a platinum blonde and styled it so that he joked that he was now Ken, but she thought him more of Freddy Jones from _Scooby-Doo_.

The 1970s outfits provided consisted of white shirts with skinny vertical stripes, dark red pants, orange ascots, period-typical socks and shoes, and pale brown coats. They were also provided with a brown satchel that held the ingredients that they would need in order to travel to Everlock with the YouTubers, and a stylish 70s car as their transportation.

*****

“So, I take it these are the people you both are inviting to go on the mission?” James asked, looking over the list of names.

“Yup, and none of them have gone through this before,” said Joey as he and Dawn finished getting ready to go. They had decided that they wouldn’t invite Oli, Eva, Andrea, or Tyler, wanting to spare them of having to go through hell a second time.

James nodded and then added two names to the list, confusing them. “Here are two others who should go as well,” he said, handing Dawn the list, and both she and Joey looked at the new names, which they weren’t familiar with.

“Esther Bourne and Curtis Knight?”

“I know that I was dead for a while,” Joey said, confused. “But I’ve never heard of these two particular YouTubers.”

“Well, they’re a couple and they both have had their respective channels for just two months,” James explained, “but I have it on good authority that they might have skills that could help with the mission.”

Dawn and Joey weren’t as sure since the people they’d chosen, Joey knew fairly well, or had seen some of the videos they did for YouTube, but having two unknown people that were in a relationship, that could complicate matters. “Uh, _ok_.”

“Good luck to you both,” said James, and he watched as they left in the car. “Good luck.”

*****

As they drove down the road that would take them to where Everlock was suppose to be, Joey turned on the radio and _“Sympathy for the Devil”_ by the Rolling Stones started to play.

“Ok, that’s an ironic choice,” Dawn remarked, rolling her eyes a little. “But it kinda fits, too.”

Joey chuckled. “Yeah, it does.”

*****

Halfway to their destination, where they would wait until the group of YouTubers arrived on the date that this needed to happen on, they stopped next to a specific mailbox that, according to James, would make sure that the invites were sent to the right people.

Joey wrote on the invites what to expect while Dawn addressed the envelopes, and after they both signed the invites and put them in the envelopes, he put them in the mailbox.

“Now we wait,” he remarked, the brunette agreed, and, starting the engine, they continued their trip to Everlock.

*****

Sometime later, a mailman walked up the front steps to a blue house and knocked on the door, which opened to reveal Nikita Dragun, an Asian/Mexican gal with long black hair, almond-shaped dark eyes, and she didn’t look impressed when he presented her with a cream-colored envelope.

“I have a letter for you.”

“Bitch,” Nikita snapped, taking the envelope from him with a scowl. “Where’s my burger? I did _not_ order this.” And when the mailman gave her an odd look, she rolled her eyes and shut the door. She then looked at the envelope, which did have her name on it, and she opened it to find a folded letter inside.

Taking it out, she unfolded the letter, and her eyebrows shot into her hairline when she saw the two names written on the top of the letter. “Joey Graceffa and Dawn Hatcher? What the hell?” She knew Joey from doing a few videos with him on YouTube, and she was familiar with Dawn’s various acting roles. Now curious, she started reading the letter.

*****

Roi Fabito started reading the letter he’d received and was brushing his teeth at the same time.

“‘My friends, Dawn and I are going on an extraordinary adventure, and we’re in need of your help…and so are hundreds of others. This is not an invitation to a ball or a dinner party. It's an invitation to embark on a dangerous mission’. Ok! That’s _me!_ ” he exclaimed and ended up brushing his forehead as he kept reading the rest of the invite.

*****

“‘It may sound impossible, but there's a town trapped in the 1970s, and very soon, everyone in it will be dead unless we do something about it’,” Teala Dunn read and she frowned.

_‘That_ does _sound impossible,’_ she thought, but the thought of people, even people that she didn’t even know, dying, made her want to help, and she resumed reading.

*****

“‘There's a dark séance that will take us back in time, but for it to work, you must choose a personality reminiscent of that era and dress like them’,” Jc Caylen read, and he was immediately intrigued since in some ways, he was already halfway to being ready to travel to the 1970s with how he wore his hair and acted, and the thought of being able to time travel sounded _really_ interesting and cool.

“Wow, man, I wonder if we can really time travel like Dawn and Joey says?” he wondered and he kept reading the rest of the invite while already planning on the personality he was going to choose and the outfit he was going to wear. “Groovy!”

*****

“‘Remember: nothing from the modern world can come with you.’,” Manny Mua read and his forehead furrowed in thought while he applied lipgloss to his lips and contemplated the rules. “Can I bring my lipgloss, though?” he wondered, figuring that it had to exist in some form in the 1970s. “This is something to think about.”

*****

“‘The people of Everlock will know their role and their place’,” Safiya Nygaard read, “‘but you will be operating without knowledge or understanding of what's to come’.” She stopped reading and frowned, a bit perplexed of how this was going to be possible, and also where Joey had been since disappearing last year after being kidnapped by that insane woman. _‘Well, if Joey and Dawn need my help, they’re going to get it.’_ She then went back to reading the rest of the letter.

*****

“‘This Friday the 13th, the doorway to Everlock will be open’,” Rosanna ‘Ro’ Pansino read, “‘and we will only have that one night to complete our mission’.” She recognized the signatures on the bottom of the letter, so she knew that it was her two friends, and a determined expression etched itself across her face.

“Don’t worry, Joey, Donny!” she exclaimed, making a fist. “I’m on the way!” She then went to research and plan what she was going to go as.

*****

Letters were also received by Matthew ‘Matpat’ Patrick, Colleen Ballinger, Esther Bourne, and Curtis Knight. Now while Matt and Colleen were looking forward to seeing both Dawn and Joey, and finding out where Joey had been that whole time, Esther and Curtis, however, were already planning for the mission itself, having gotten a certain phone call shortly after getting the invites.

Unlike most of the invitees, Esther and Curtis had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen on the mission, but they weren’t going to reveal that to anyone, not even Dawn and Joey, until they felt that the time was right.

*****

When the time came to head to the location mentioned in the invites, the eleven people set out in their respective 1970s outfits, some of them even had 1970s mode of transportation, some providing rides for others, and they were off to begin the Friday the 13thmission, unaware that some of them weren’t going to come back alive before the night was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The invites have been sent! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. CHAPTER TWO: THE ARRIVAL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the guests to start arriving. Onward!

**CHAPTER TWO: THE ARRIVAL**

*****

A green van drove along the dirt road, which was bumpy for the people inside, but they figured that where they were going to would be worth the bumps and bruises.

*****

Arriving at the destination, Teala was the first to get out of the van. She was going as the Super Spy, which was why she was wearing a bronze-colored jumpsuit with a long red jacket that went to her knees, a pair of knee-high black boots, and long gold earrings in her ears while her long black hair was free-flowing in an elegant manner.

Teala opened the sliding door and out stepped Colleen, and she was the Disco Dancer. She was wearing a dark colored and sparkling silk two-piece outfit, which made her look like a walking disco ball, black platform shoes, and she wore a fluffy coat that was also dark-colored with hints of other colors in the fur.

Manny, who’d been driving the van, parked it and got out. He was in full Record Producer mode with an emerald green velvet jumpsuit with a matching green shirt underneath, black cowboy boots, a number of gold rings and necklaces that Mr. T would’ve been proud of, and he even had a full face of makeup on, too.

They hadn’t been there very long when Jc arrived on a skateboard, and he jumped over a fence before giving them the universal peace sign. He was definitely a Hippie with his curly hair, his calm smile, and the white shirt with red collar, the jeans, the brown boots, and his white jacket, which had a red flower pattern on it, completed the look.

Hearing an engine, they all turned to see Roi drive up on a motorcycle, and it wasn’t hard to guess that he was the Daredevil with a stringy rodeo-style jacket with the patterns and colors of the American Flag on it, the white/blue shirt, bright white pants, and red boots. “Hey, guys,” he said cheerfully as he got off his motorcycle. “You’re all looking good.”

It wasn’t long before Nikita, choosing to come as the Troublemaker, came skating up the road to them, and both Roi and Jc were doing whistling and catcalls when they saw what she was wearing. Along with a big blonde wig, she had on a revealing hot pink dress, a pink headband that went well with the blonde wig, gold earrings, a black leather jacket was in her backpack, and she impressed them further by taking off her white roller skates and replaced them with knee-high, white go-go boots instead. She also took out the jacket, too, before storing her backpack in Manny’s van.

Hearing another engine, they saw a brown car pull up and out first came Matt with a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses covering his brown eyes, and he was the Detective for the mission. He was wearing an orange coat over a white shirt, an orange tie, a pair of checkered green pants, and brown shoes. And in the place of honor on his belt was a silver detective badge.

Ro got out of the car, too, and she was beaming at the group, being the Jet Setter. Although she was short, she was looking super cute in her white plaid-pattern dress, yellow stockings, beige platform oxfords shoes, green coat that had white poofs, and she was even wearing a little yellow beret.

Hearing another engine, Roi was throughly impressed when he saw Esther and Curtis ride up on what was clearly a vintage 1970s Harley Davidson. “Ok, I’m seriously in _love_ with that bike!”

Curtis chuckled as he took off his helmet and smoothed back his black hair, and there was a twinkle in his green eyes. He was the Mechanic and over a blue shirt, he was wearing a black leather jacket, which hid a brown leather strap on his wrist, blue jeans, and black boots. “Thanks, I rebuilt her myself.”

“No way!”

Esther giggled as she shook out her blonde hair so that it was freed of the helmet, and there was a twinkle in her own almond-shaped brown eyes. She was the Rock Singer, and she was almost stealing the spotlight with her off-shoulder white blouse that was covered by a blue coat, which also hid a similar brown leather strap, blue jeans, and white boots. “He really did rebuild that bike.”

The last person to ride in on her bicycle was Safiya, and she was the Investigative Reporter. Having always been a fan of the 1970s, she had gone for a red aviator’s jacket over a red sweater with a white stripe down the middle, blue jeans, and black boots.

She parked her bicycle and joined the group, so that they could check out their outfits, talk about their personalities for the mission, what the mission could be about, and wait for both Joey and Dawn.

*****

Unknown to the waiting YouTubers, Joey and Dawn weren’t that far from their location, and they were, in fact, watching them from a nearby hilltop with binoculars that had also been provided by the Society Against Evil.

“Well, all eleven are down there,” Dawn reported, “and they’re all probably wondering where you and I are right now.”

Joey nodded in agreement. They both were sitting on the hood of the car and had observed the arrival of their friends with the binoculars. From what they could tell, their friends had definitely gone out of their way to dress for the personalities that they had chosen, and everything about them was definitely saying that they were ready for the 1970s.

“How long should we wait before we join them?” the brunette asked, lowering the binoculars.

“At least until after the sun sets,” Joey replied, lowering his own binoculars. “This has to be done at night.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, just like the last two times,” she agreed, grumbling a bit. While preparing for the mission, they had promised each other that when it came time for the voting, they weren’t going to vote for each other for the final death challenges, and they would have to keep each other alive in order for the mission to be completed, or else everyone was going to die, including their friends.

They had also agreed not to tell their friends the truth unless there was no other option, and while Dawn wasn’t a big fan of lying, she knew that it was for the best…for now.

The brunette checked her watch. “So, for the next five hours, you and I are going to wait here until it’s time. Right?”

“Right.”

“Joy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The guests have arrived and it's time to wait for the sun to set. Oh, and be sure to tell Dawn Hatcher happy birthday, for today is both her and mines' birthdays! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. CHAPTER THREE: REUNION TIME!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> What's this? A second update? Have I gone mad? Yes, I have for it's my birthday! Onward!

**CHAPTER THREE: REUNION TIME!**

*****

It’d been five hours since the eleven YouTubers had arrived at the location mentioned in the invites, and so far, there was no sign of either Joey or Dawn. The sun had gone down sometime ago and it was getting cold. Curtis had Matt and Manny help him start a fire, and so far they had talked about just about everything and anything that they could think of. Manny was starting to get fed up since this wasn’t very good hosting, and he knew that this wasn’t like Joey or even Dawn, having been good friends with them both for a number of years now.

“Where’s Joey and Dawn?” Matt wondered.

“I know Dawn’s been out of the country filming for _Doctor Who_ ,” said Ro. “But I haven’t seen Joey in a while. Like, a couple of months.”

“Not since last year,” said Colleen, and they all knew what she meant. No one had seen Joey since the second kidnapping by an insane woman that had called herself the Sorceress, and had apparently been a part of the same cult that had been responsible for kidnapping him, Dawn, and a group of YouTubers two years ago. “I just hope they both show up soon.”

Esther nodded. “Yeah, and I don’t think we should say anything about what happen last year,” she suggested. “Or the year before for that matter.”

“Yeah, those six months were _tough_ for them both times,” Curtis agreed, and the others nodded. None of them really wanted to think of what the past year had been like for Joey, or even Dawn, and they certain didn’t want to trigger any PTSD episodes in either of them when they finally _did_ show up.

“To be honest, I thought this was just a collab," Colleen added. "Like, I thought this was just, like, gonna just be a collab.” And this got some laughs from the others, and it did kind of sounded like a cool YouTube idea.

“Somehow I don’t think this is any kind of collab,” Roi remarked. “If it was, then why not bring our cameras?”

“Why did they have us meet them here?" Colleen wondered, pointing at the ground beneath their feet. "Is _this_ the town?"

Matt chuckled and shook his head. "This is _clearly_ not the town!”

“I'm just here to see,” Safiya remarked, “you know, like, can we _actually_ time travel?”

“It’d be cool if we really _could_ time travel,” Jc agreed with a grin.

Colleen, however, was getting tired of waiting, and while she knew Joey liked to be dramatic, this was getting to be old really fast. “I think we've waited long enough,” she stated and Manny was agreeing with her when two more people arrived, and they were the very people they had been waiting for.

“You guys came!” Joey exclaimed as he and Dawn walked up to them, and the group cheered when they saw them, exchanging hugs.

Ro noted that they were dressed similar, even with similar pale brown coats, which was unusual since she knew that Dawn had a unique fashion sense of her own, but she figured that it was for the mission. _‘I know Joey has been trying for several_ _years to make changes to Donny’s wardrobe with only limited success,’_ she thought, _‘but I guess she decided to let him win this round of their silly fashion war.’_

“Honestly,” Joey added once the hugs were done. “We didn't know if you guys were gonna come or not.”

“We've been waiting for _hours!_ ” Colleen exclaimed.

"We've been really worried about you both,” Safiya added.

“Sorry for being late,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes, “but Joey got us lost _twice._ ”

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did! _Twice!_ ”

The group snickered, recognizing this as the normal good natural teasing between Joey and Dawn, and just seeing the exchange was good enough for them to see that Joey was still Joey and Dawn was still Dawn.

“So, tell us about this town,” Matt requested once they were done teasing each other for the moment.

“Yeah,” Teala agreed.

Joey nodded, focusing on the mission at hand. “So, we need your help,” he explained and Dawn nodded. “Wereally don't know much about how we get there, but I was given this." He held up the satchel. "And we need to save this town. Apparently, there's something here that's gonna help us get into the town.”

“You haven’t opened it?” Colleen asked, eying the satchel.

Dawn shook her head. “No, we were told not to open until it was time,” she added. “So, the contents are a mystery.”

“Let’s open it,” Safiya suggested.

“Ok.” Joey opened the satchel as the group moved in closer, curious to see what the contents were, and he first pulled out a white scroll tied with a red ribbon.

“Looks like a note," Safiya remarked, taking the scroll to open it.

"A scroll," Manny corrected her.

Matt grinned anxiously. "Not ominous at all.”

Chuckling, Dawn helped Joey take out a small container of salt that Ro took and handed to Nikita, who sniffed it and made remark that it smelled expensive, and five small crystals. “That looks to be it.”

Safiya had the scroll opened by this point. “All right,” she said when they all quieted down and Joey set the empty satchel down. “I’ve got the instructions.” And she read them. “‘Those who desire to go back in time and enter the town of Everlock must be inhabited by a spirit that once lived there’.”

“Hold up,” said Matt, not liking the sound of that. _‘Magic? Possession?_ Seriously _?’_

“Wait, are we talking about possession here?” Esther asked. “’cause I saw _The Exorcist_ once and that movie gave me nightmares.”

“Maybe we should find a phone and call the Winchesters,” Curtis suggested. “Heck, we should call the Ghostbusters.”

Colleen was feeling scared. “We have to be inhabited by a _spirit?_ ”

"I mean, I've had a tapeworm," Manny admitted. "I've had things living in me before. It's not that bad.”

Dawn made a face. “TMI, Manny, TMI.”

“You guys,” said Nikita, doing her best to sound excited even though she was feeling scared. “I think it could be fun. Like, if we just get in it…”

Manny laughed and nodded. “It would. It would.”

Teala was nervously giggling. “Think of the consequences!”

“Guys, come on!” Joey insisted. “We don’t have much time!”

“Joey’s right,” Dawn agreed. “We only have _tonight_ to get to this town and save it.”

The others nodded and Safiya read the rest of the instructions so that they could perform the séance. “‘They must create a circle of salt, place five crystals at the head of the circle, hold hands, and chant the incantation below’.”

Matt took the container of salt from Nikita, who took the crystals from Dawn, and after he poured a circle of salt around the fire, she put the five crystals at the head of the circle.

Once this was done, the group gathered in a circle around the fire, holding hands and, with Joey and Dawn now holding the paper with the incantation, began the chant together. “‘From across the veil of death, I request your presence, so I might make wrong things right. Enter in, that I might see the doorway to Everlock’.”

The moment that the incantation was completed, an unseen wind started to blow around them, and the fire began to glow with an eerie green light with wisps starting to rise from it. Before anyone could even _think_ the word ‘spirits’, the green spirits suddenly shot out of the fire, surrounding the group, and they all started screaming as the spirits entered their bodies through their mouths, making their eyes glow green, and after what felt like hours, but was really only seconds, it was over.

The fire was no longer glowing green and the group was shaken, gasping, coughing, and breathing hard, eyes wide with shock, and it was Matt who broke the silence that’d fallen over them. “It was kinda warm and tingling.”

The group exchanged looks and then they all started cracking up with laughter, and the shock of the séance disappeared.

“But, did it work?” Ro wondered.

“Guys,” said Joey, pointing to something. “Look! Over there!” And they all turned and gasped at the sight of something that _definitely_ hadn’t been there before.

“No,” Roi gasped.

A short distance away was a bridge that hadn’t been there before, lighted on either side with long lines of orange fairy lights, and then an archway appeared out of thin air with a sign that said “TOWN OF EVERLOCK”, and there was a red curtain that was obscuring whatever was on the other side of the archway.

The séance had worked, they were now able to enter Everlock. But what were they going to find when they entered the town?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entrance has been revealed! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. CHAPTER FOUR: ENTERING EVERLOCK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> The entrance to Everlock has appeared. What will they find inside? Onward!

**CHAPTER FOUR: ENTERING EVERLOCK**

*****

Linking arms, the group walked across the bridge toward the archway, wondering what they were going to find on the other side of the curtain, and both Joey and Dawn were hoping that this mission wouldn’t turn out as bad as the last two times, not that they were about to say that out loud in front of their friends.

They were only a few feet from the curtain when a clown suddenly jumped out, scaring the living daylights out of them, and they all screamed, jumping backwards a little. The clown was female with spiky blue hair, her face was covered with white makeup, black diamonds were drawn around her dark eyes, she wore red lipstick, her fingernails were painted black, white, and red, and her costume was black with white ruffles, and red buttons.

_‘Ok, I can handle vampires and even freakin’ werewolves,’_ Joey thought as he and Dawn, who wasn’t thrilled to be face-to-face with a clown, shared uneasy looks of what the first jump scare of the night turned out to be. _‘But a_ clown _?_ Why _did it have to be clowns?’_

“It’s your lucky day!” the clown exclaimed excitedly. “Because the carnival’s in town!” And before the group could react to this, she launched into a speech. “We have a strong man! A snake woman! Dolls with knives! It's like bloody Christmas _every day!_ " And she laughed maniacally.

The group chuckled nervously, wondering if it was already too late to just turn around and leave when the clown spoke again. “We will be friends soon,” she said confidently. “I've got a good feeling about that.” She then pulled back the curtain and gestured them forward toward the carnival that was on the other side. “Enjoy the ride!”

“Thank you,” Joey said with a nervous smile as they started through the archway.

“Thanks, Queenie!” said Teala.

“Did she say _dolls_ with _knives_?” Matt wondered uneasily.

“Yeah, I think she did,” Dawn agreed, not wanting to deal with evil killer dolls on top of clowns. _‘Had anyone told me I’d be facing a_ clown _of all things, I wouldn’t have signed that stupid contract.’_

*****

When the group saw the carnival, they were actually pleasantly surprised since it was active, there were people having a good time, and there was definitely nothing _scary_ about the place in the slightest. They could see rides like a Ferris Wheel, a carousal, carnival games, performers, and all kinds of carnival snacks.

“Oh, look!” Colleen squealed, liking how retro the carnival looked. “There's rides! This is cute, though!” She then looked curiously at Joey and Dawn, who were looking equally surprised by the scene before them. “What's there to save? This all looks fun. What's wrong?”

“Nothing apparently,” Dawn admitted with a shrug. “Um, I’m honestly confused.”

Joey nodded. “This isn’t what I was expecting either.”

“This isn’t bad,” Matt declared, grinning.

Of course, they all did get a bit of a nasty shock when a woman that was nearby revealed that she had a spider climbing out of her mouth and all over her face. Not being a fan of spiders, Colleen, Joey, Dawn, and Nikita all quickly backed away with alarmed expressions, while Roi was watching the woman with both interest and disgust.

“Ok, didn’t need to see that,” Dawn said with a shiver. “Ew.”

“Absolutely not,” Colleen agreed. “Ugh.”

Just then, a man with long black hair, dark eyes, a slight mustache and beard, and was wearing a brown leather jacket, a white shirt with black on the collar, brown checkered pants, and brown cowboy boots, approached the group and he smiled at Nikita while carrying a red rose in one hand, which he was twirling casually between his fingers.

“Hey there, skirt,” he said in a flirtatiouslymanner. “How are you?”

“Hi,” Nikita said, grinning and started flirting back. “How are you, guy?” _‘Ooh, a handsome guy and he’s talking to me! Yes!’_

“Where are you going tonight, huh?” he inquired of her while the group were exchanging questioning looks of who this man was.

“Nowhere,” Nikita giggled, enjoying the attention.

Teala, however, was suspicious of this strange man. “Who are you?”

“I’m Mortimer,” he answered, introducing himself to the group, although he was still looking at Nikita as he said his name.

Roi didn’t believe him for a second. “He’s lying.”

Mortimer chuckled and finally addressed the group as a whole. “Why don't you just play some games and have a good time before my mom shows up, you know?” he suggested, gesturing to the carnival.

“Are you a mama’s boy?” Nikita asked, positive that she’d just met her future boyfriend. _‘I’m_ definitely _falling in love with this guy, and if I get a boyfriend out of this mission, then I’m_ all _for it!’_

Mortimer shrugged and flushed a little. “My mom is the mayor,” he admitted.

_‘Oh yeah,’_ Nikita thought, _‘he’s_ definitely _going to be_ my _boyfriend before the night is out.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wah! A clown! Why'd it have to be a clown?!
> 
> Yeah, I actually don't mind clowns when they're at a distance, but when they get close, then I tend to get nervous and back up, and I've been like that since I was a kid. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: THE CARNIVAL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> The group has arrived in Everlock and everything seems fine. Onward!

**CHAPTER FIVE: THE CARNIVAL**

*****

Leaving Nikita to flirt with Mortimer, the group spread out to explore the carnival, especially after Matt pointed out that there was free popcorn. In fact, they discovered that everything at the carnival was free, even the games!

*****

After getting a bag of popcorn, Jc went with Dawn and Joey over to a Test Your Strength game, where Joey took the first turn, and managed to hit the bell on the first try, impressing Jc, and Dawn cheered and clapped.

Beaming, Joey received a giant panda bear from the carnie, who said the bear’s name was Clarence, and he gave it to Dawn. “This is for _you_ , Donny.”

“Thank _you_ , Joey!”

*****

Everyone was having a good time, some of them were dancing or chatting with the other people, taking part in the carnival, and the fact that there really didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the place, they figured that if something did happen, it would come to them.

*****

Wandering around, Jc found Matt trying his luck at the Down the Clown game with Safiya, but he wasn’t having much luck in knocking any of the clowns over. “Dang it!”

“Matt, chill,” said Jc, grabbing a handful of beanbags. “I’ll win something for you.” The carnie counted off, and he threw the beanbag, knocking over one of the clowns on the first try, and both Matt and Safiya cheered. He grinned at them, pleased with his throw.

The carnie took down a pink stuffed pony and presented it to Matt. “Her name is Blanche,” he said with a wide smile. “She belongs to you now.”

Thrilled, Matt accepted Blanche and cooed at her in a way that made both Jc and Safiya laugh. “Hey, Blanche! Thank you!” _‘When our new baby comes along,’_ he thought, _‘he’s gonna love Blanche!’_

*****

Over at the ringtoss, Jc found Joey, Dawn, and Teala playing the game, and he decided to talk to them about the mission. “So, we’re here,” he remarked. “Now what do we do?”

Joey shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Everyone here seems happy,” Dawn remarked, “a little _too_ happy actually.” And she did have a point, so far every person in the carnival were all smiling in a big way, and it was starting to get a little unnerving.

“Does this town need saving?” Teala wondered, not finding anything wrong with the place.

Joey was starting to wonder the same thing and glanced over at a black woman in a blue/white dress and big black hair, who had a big smile plastered on her face, and it looked almost painful. “Smile if you need saving,” he suggested, and when she kept smiling, he looked back at his friends. “She smiled!” And they all laughed.

*****

After splitting off from Teala and Jc to do some more exploring, Joey and Dawn were discussing what they were really suppose to do since there didn’t seem to be anything off about the place, other then the overly happy people.

“Nothing seems to be wrong at all,” Dawn admitted while hugging the panda. “I mean, if there’s a threat here, I’m not sensing it.”

“I know,” Joey agreed, wondering whether the contract they both signed was just a way for the Society Against Evil to pull a prank on them, because even he couldn’t find anything wrong with the town either. “Other then that creepy clown earlier, there just doesn’t seem anything that we need to risk our lives for.”

Dawn nodded and saw Mortimer, who was no longer carrying the rose, heading their way. “Incoming from the left,” she remarked as he joined him. “Hey there.”

“Hey,” said Mortimer, “so, you and your girlfriend having fun?”

Joey and Dawn both snickered, having had this happen before. “We’re not a couple,” he corrected the man. “I actually have someone special back home.” _‘And I am_ really _looking forward to seeing Daniel when this is all over.’_

“Yeah, no romance between us whatsoever,” Dawn agreed.

“Ah, so you’re siblings then,” Mortimer guessed.

Joey and Dawn glanced at each other and then shrugged while nodding. “Yeah, something like that.”

*****

In a different part of the carnival, Colleen was talking with Teala and Manny about the mission, or lack there of. “If we're here to save the town,” she said, “how can we use our talents to help? Because, like, as a Dancer, I don't know how much I can do.”

“I can mix things,” Manny offered.

Colleen turned to Teala. “Yeah, like, have you ever done spy work before?” she inquired.

Teala shook her head. “No, this is my first job,” she admitted, not really having expected to do any _real_ spy work, and she really thought this was all suppose to be pretend. “I mean, this is all for fun right?” she asked, although that séance earlier had felt _really_ real.

“So, we’re screwed,” Colleen joked and both Manny and Teala chuckled.

*****

Curtis and Esther walked around the carnival together, taking in the sights, having played some games, where he’d won his girlfriend a stuffed tiger, and were checking out the rides. Well, if anyone had been paying attention, that’s what it _looked like_ they were doing. But what they were _really_ doing, they were keeping Dawn and Joey in sight.

While most of the group thought that there was nothing to worry about, they both knew that there was definitely something off with Everlock, and they were going to make sure that the mission was completed before the night ended.

*****

Ro was having a _great_ time and had managed to win a purple stuffed dog named Blueberry at a game, and now she was hanging out with Matt, Colleen, and Roi at one of the games. Matt was explaining how to throw the darts just right to pop the balloons when Roi let out a started yelped, and they all turned to look at him.

“Sorry,” said Roi and pointed to a dark-haired woman, who’s been sneaking up on them, and was currently pretending to examine a nearby popcorn machine. “Sorry, she scared me.”

“Who’s that?” Matt wondered, noting that this woman didn’t seem to be having a good time like the other people, and she had tattoos and was dressed like a gypsy.

Ro decided to use her skills as a Jet Setter and went to talk with the woman while Matt, Colleen, and Roi followed. “Hello!” she said with a cheerful wave and the woman looked at her. “Bonjour!”

The woman waited until they were closer before she spoke in a mysterious manner that made the trio raise their eyebrows. “The stars,” she hissed.

“The stars?” Colleen repeated. “No stars. City lights?”

The woman ignored her and gestured toward the night sky. “The stars have been talking to me.”

“So, what are they saying?” Ro inquired, curious.

“All kinds of secrets,” the woman replied in the same mysterious manner.

Ro liked secrets, as long as they didn’t hurt others. “Are they friendship secrets?” she asked eagerly. “Light-hearted secrets? Dark secrets? Dark? Serious?”

“He’s coming,” the woman whispered in a foreboding manner, and now the trio was starting to get uneasy.

“Who’s coming?” Roi asked, wondering if this ‘He’ had to do with the mission that Joey and Dawn needed help with.

“He’s coming,” the woman repeated and she started petting the head of Ro’s stuffed dog, and the trio exchanged uneasy looks.

What was this woman talking about?

Who was ‘He’?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mysterious woman talking about? Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. CHAPTER SIX: CLOWN AND BOX PART 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yup, it's time for more carnival fun! Onward!

**CHAPTER SIX: CLOWN AND BOX PART 1**

*****

After managing to get away from the strange woman, Matt noticed the ferris wheel and so, being a roller coaster enthusiast, he linked arms with Ro, and they both headed over to it. They hadn’t gotten very far when they were joined by Mortimer, and he started talking with them.

“This ride got built, like, just yesterday,” he informed them as he lead the way by walking backwards. “So, if you or your sister have any problems with it. Just let us know.”

Matt chuckled. “She’s not my sister,” he corrected the guy, “but we have been told that we do look alike.”

Mortimer laughed, slightly embarrassed. “Well, just goes to show that I can’t tell whose dating and whose related,” he admitted. “I already thought those two” and he pointed out to where Joey and Dawn were getting some cotton candy from one of the food stalls “were dating, but now I think they might be siblings.”

“Oh, Joey and Dawn are just really good friends,” said Ro. “Although, Joey _has_ been known to go big brother on Dawn, even though she’s older, and they _are_ pretty protective of each other, too.”

Mortimer chuckled. “Once again, my bad.”

While Mortimer went off to talk with other members of the group, Matt and Ro climbed the steps so that they could ride the ferris wheel, and found a cute blanket on the seat of the passenger car. Giggling, they both sat down and the operator locked them in before starting the ride.

As they started going backwards and upward, Matt felt something lumpy under the blanket and reached under it, pulling out a newspaper.

“Why is there a newspaper under the blanket?” Ro wondered.

Matt shrugged, tucked Blanche under his arm and took off his sunglasses so that he could read the front page, and when he saw the headline, his stomach twisted into uneasy knots while Ro gasped. “‘The Clowns Here Kill’.”

“No,” Ro whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

Matt gulped, not liking the sound of that. Now he wasn’t overly scared of clowns, but they _did_ make him nervous, and the amount of time he spent on the _Five Nights at Freddy’s_ games didn’t really help either. “‘The Killer Clown Clan strikes again, much to no one's surprise’,” he continued reading the article. “‘Four major players of the Clan are shown here. Be warned’.” And when both he and Ro looked at the black/white photo, not only were there four clowns pictured, but they recognized one of them as the _very_ clown that had greeted them when they first arrived.

_‘Oh crap!’_ he thought while Ro was gulping again, and he looked down where he could see Colleen and Roi watching them and waving. _‘I need to warn them! We need to get_ down _!’_ “Guys!” he shouted frantically. “Don’t trust the clowns!” But when he saw only confused looks on their faces, it was clear that they couldn’t hear him over the nosies of the carnival.

Suddenly, the ride stopped, and they were stuck at the top of the ferris wheel. When both Matt and Ro leaned forward, the passenger car started rocking violently, scaring her, and he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they leaned back, freezing in place. “Oh, Jesus! Ok, _don’t_ lean forward!”

“Ok,” Ro squeaked fearfully, and she was wondering how they were going to get down and warn their friends about the clowns, particularly the first clown.

*****

Down on the ground, Roi was worried since for some reason, the guy operating the ferris wheel had stopped the ride and walked away, leaving Matt and Ro at the top of the ride, and they looked like they were stuck.

“Are you stuck?” he called out and while he couldn’t hear their reply, he was pretty sure that they knew that they were stuck, and he noticed that the strange woman from earlier was staring intensely at the ride and was making odd gestures with her hands.

_‘Did she do something to the ride?’_ he wondered, now starting to suspect that this town wasn’t as innocent-looking as it first appeared, and that the people that lived there probably _did_ need their help somehow.

*****

Meanwhile, Joey and Dawn were really starting to think that the blonde woman and the Asian man had tricked them since they still couldn’t find anything off about the place, other then the ferris wheel being stuck with two of their friends at the top, and they saw Curtis, who was good with mechanical stuff, heading that way, probably to help get the ride moving again.

They were about to follow when the clown from earlier suddenly skipped over to them with the same wide grin, and Dawn did move behind Joey a bit. She did have a fear of clowns that she couldn’t explain, and as long as they didn’t get too close, she was fine with them, but this clown was closer then she really liked.

“Hey,” said the clown cheerfully and grabbed Joey’s hand before he could stop her. “I have a fun game for you! Wanna play?”

“Sure,” Joey agreed while Dawn was just shaking her head, and they both followed since the clown was still holding his hand, and Teala decided to join them.

*****

Still trapped on the ferris wheel, when Matt saw the clown from earlier approach Joey and Dawn, he began to panic when the clown started leading them and Teala toward one of the games. “No!” he shouted, hoping that they would be able to hear him. “Joey, don’t trust her! Dawn, stay away from her! _Joey! Donny!_ ”

“I don’t think they can hear us,” said Ro, disappointed since she knew that Dawn had Autism and sensitive hearing, but it was clear that the overall noises were making it impossible for them to hear her and Matt. “What’re we going to do?”

Matt shrugged, hating that they couldn’t help their friends. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay away from Kerrie! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN: CLOWN AND BOX PART 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Suspicious things are going on around here. Onward!

**CHAPTER SEVEN: CLOWN AND BOX PART 2**

*****

The clown lead Joey, Dawn, and Teala over to a carnival game, where there was a tower of metal milk bottles waiting, and she pushed a basket full of colorful balls toward them. “Here,” she said, pressing a yellow ball into Joey’s hand. “Take this ball and throw it at these cans. If you knock one over, you win a prize!”

“Oh! I want the pony!” Joey exclaimed, excited and both Dawn and Teala giggled since he was acting like a little boy. “I want the big pony! If I get it, can I get the big pony, _please?_ ”

“ _Maybe_ ,” the clown said with a giggle of her own. “You just have to get it.”

Joey handed Teala a few of the balls and they both threw the balls at the cans, knocking them all down on their first try, and they were both thrilled. “Yay! I get the pony!” he cheered and Dawn high-five him on a job well done.

The clown reached behind the table, where the prizes were stored, but instead of pulling out a big pony, she took out a small red box that had yellow stars painted on the sides. “How about…instead of the pony…” she said, presenting them with the box, and her eyes were fixed on Joey, who was looking confused since that wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

Dawn and Teala exchanged confused looks, wondering why the clown was giving Joey what appeared to be a jack-in-the-box instead of one of the stuffed ponies. “A box?”

“I've been saving this for a _very_ special occasion!" the clown informed them and she was still grinning at Joey, but her grin was starting to look dangerous, and he was starting to feel uneasy. "Only someone with your unique gift can open the box and let the _real_ carnival come out to play!”

_‘My unique gift?’_ Joey thought, feeling both uneasy and confused as the clown pushed the box into his hands. _‘What gift? Unless, she somehow knows about why Dawn and I are here…’_ He wasn’t even going to finish that thought.

“What do you mean by the _real_ carnival?” Dawn questioned, and she was starting to feel uneasy, for there was something strange about the box. Plus, she thought she felt the Light stirring inside her, as if it could sense something bad was coming, too.

The clown ignored her and was still focused on Joey. “Be careful!” she warned once he was holding the box. “Don’t open it just yet.” And she laughed as she backed away.

Joey, feeling _very_ uneasy, turned to Dawn, who was tightly hugging her panda, and Teala. “Don’t open it just yet?” they repeated at the same time, staring at the box before he glanced back at the still-grinning clown. “Got it, _thank you_.” And they hurried away to find their friends.

*****

They found the others over near the bandstand, where Nikita was holding the red rose and she was gushing to Manny about Mortimer, who was hovering nearby, and Joey got their attention.

“Guys,” he said, showing them the box, “we got a gift.” And they gathered around to look at the box, and the only members of the group that weren’t there was Matt and Ro since they were still stuck on the ferris wheel. Curtis admitted that he couldn’t get it working since the operator had locked up the control box and he couldn’t find him or a key anywhere.

“Is that a jack-in-the-box?” Esther asked and Joey nodded. “Weird.”

Joey shared with them of what the clown had said, and a debate soon started about whether he should open the box or not. Nikita was all for it, but Dawn wasn’t so sure since she was getting a bad feeling about the box. Before a decision could be reached, a horn suddenly blared, making them all scream and jump.

“Freaking jump scares,” Dawn muttered, now having experience three jump-scares in just thirty minutes, and her heart was pounding.

Just then, a dark-haired woman appeared on the balcony above them, and she was holding a bullhorn. When she was greeted by applause from the town people as they gathered around, the group realized that this had to be Mortimer’s mom. She was the mayor of Everlock.

*****

Over at the ferris wheel, Ro and Matt could see the mayor, and they were surprised at how young she appeared. They also found it odd since Mortimer said that his mom was the mayor.

“How is that his mom?” Ro wondered. “She looks fabulous! She doesn't look old enough to be his mom.”

Matt shrugged. “You don’t know local politics.”

*****

The mayor was beaming at everyone and she spoke into the bullhorn so that she could be heard. “Thank you all for coming out to Carnival!" she announced with a wide smile. "It's our lifeblood.”

“I think you mean it’s sucking _our_ blood?” the strange woman said suddenly, glaring up at the mayor, who was now frowning. The group stared at her, wondering what she was getting at, and she kept talking. “The spell won’t last forever,” she warned, “and then You-Know-Who is coming back.”

“Is she talking about Voldemort?” Safiya wondered, being a big _Harry Potter_ fan.

“Uh, somehow I don’t think that’s who she’s talking about,” said Esther.

The mayor sighed, clearly having heard the strange woman talk like this before. “I wouldn’t listen to her words,” she advised, clearly dismissing the woman. “Please.”

“We’re here to help you!” Joey called out.

The mayor smiled at him. “ _Thank you_ ,” she said. “Avoid this woman and her nonsense. She's gypsy trash who lives on the outskirts of town.”

This got a reaction out of the group since it was clearly a racial slur. “That was reach! That was a reach!”

“Never willing to join us,” the mayor tsked, not caring that the YouTubers thought she’d been overly mean with the slur. “She’s not to be trusted.”

The strange woman was ignoring the mayor and she was moving toward Joey, her eyes were fixed on the box in his hands. “Where did you get that?” she demanded.

“I won it,” Joey answered and he held it close. “It’s mine.”

“Calliope!” the mayor snapped in a warning tone.

Calliope shot the mayor a dark look. “Not today, Janet!” she snapped before returning her attention to the group, staring at the box once again.

“Janet, you shut your mouth,” Manny muttered in a snarky tone, and no one disagreed with him since Janet had crossed a line in their minds.

“Do you _know_ what that is?” Calliope asked in a voice that was low and fierce, but there was also a hint of anxiety, too.

Joey looked between her and the box, his uneasiness growing. “It’s a box.”

“A music box,” Colleen remarked.

Mayor Janet laughed. “It’s a toy.”

“No!” Calliope snapped. “That is one of the Carnival Master’s wicked artifacts!”

Hearing both “the Carnival Master” and “artifacts” in the same sentence, Joey and Dawn exchanged a look since it was starting to look like the blonde woman and Asian man _hadn’t_ been lying after all, and the box wasn’t just an innocent toy either.

Mayor Janet, however, didn’t seem to think that Calliope was right at all. “It’s a harmless carnival toy,” she insisted.

“And I did win it as a prize,” Joey added, not wanting to show how uneasy he was.

“Somebody _please_ just open it,” Mayor Janet requested, “and _put_ this woman’s hysteria to rest.”

Joey looked at his friends questioningly. “What should I do?” he asked. “Should I open it?”

“No,” said Dawn firmly. “Opening that box is a _bad_ idea.” And some of their friends agreed with her, but the others were wanting him to open the box.

Roi noticed that Calliope was backing away from them, and he could see that she was scared of the box. “Joey, look at her, she’s scared.”

Joey was feeling conflicted, but it was really up to him, and he made his choice. “I’m going to open it,” he declared and he started to turn the handle on the side, making an eerie version of a familiar tune start to play.

“This is _such_ a bad idea,” Dawn groaned, positive that something bad was going to happen when the box opened.

Just then, the box suddenly opened, revealing the creepiest jack-in-the-box, which had a knife in its’ head, that they had ever seen popped out, and they all screamed as it glowed red. The Savant nearly dropped it, but Mortimer caught the box.

_‘I just_ really _screwed up,’_ Joey thought, as Darkness started to swirl out of the box and around them, along with creepy screams, and he knew that this was his worst mistake since the 1920s house incident two years ago and his attempt to get the Crown of Oblivion from the Sorceress last year. _‘I just screwed up_ big time _!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, the box has been opened, and all hell is going to break loose. Just try not to fill the comments with too much hate at Joey place? Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT: KILLER CLOWNS!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> I hope everyone had a great Halloween, I did despite some stressful moments, and now to see what is going on in Everlock. Onward!

**CHAPTER EIGHT: KILLER CLOWNS!**

*****

The group was still staring at the open box that Mortimer was now holding, and both Joey and Dawn could now sense the Darkness that had been hidden until that very moment. Thirty minutes ago, they all had been having a good time, but now, they knew that fun time was over, and something bad was going to happen _very_ soon.

They all thought they were hearing terrified screams and unholy laugher, and the town people were all starting to look uneasy, as if they could sense something was wrong, too.

Mayor Janet, however, was laughing, as if it was all just one big joke. “Nothing happened,” she stated. “Everything is _fine_.”

“We heard screams,” Manny pointed out.

Mayor Janet ignored him and it was clear that she was in serious denial. “Just enjoy the carnival,” she insisted. “Honestly, I-” She then screamed when a clown suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her, and lifted her above his head. And before anyone could react, the clown suddenly threw her off the balcony and she crashed into the stage with a sickening _crunch!_

The group screamed and Mortimer was staring at his mother’s broken body in shock. “Mom!” he shouted, his voice filled with shock and grief. “Mom! _Mom!_ ”

Suddenly, _hundreds_ of clowns, all armed with all kinds of weapons, appeared. In the lead was the clown that had first greeted the YouTubers, only now she was wearing a blue leather coat over a black bodice, red leather pants, and white boots. She was armed with two neon pink guns, which she started firing at the town people, and the other clowns starting killing the people, too.

*****

Still trapped on the ferris wheel, Matt and Ro could only watch in horror as the clowns tore through the carnival and people fled, screaming in fear. “I told you! The clowns!” he shouted, furious that they weren’t able to help their friends.

*****

The group was frozen in place, staring at the advancing clowns, and it was only when Mortimer started shouting that they were able to move.

“Get your friends!” Mortimer shouted at Joey and Dawn, making them both start a little and looked at him. “Get your friends! You gotta follow me!” And he started toward the arcade.

Going into full leader mode, Joey and Dawn started waving to their friends and pointing to where Mortimer was heading. “This way! This way!”

“Hurry! Follow Mortimer!”

The group fled and Roi was _so_ focused on helping his friends, that he didn’t see one of the clowns coming up from behind until he got grabbed, and the clown cackled as he was dragged away. “No! Hey! Hey!” he shouted as he struggled in the grip of the clown.

*****

The clown just kept cackling as he dragged Roi over to a dirty white RV with a blue stripe on the side, where he shoved his captive inside, and toward the back of the vehicle. “There you go, kid,” he said mockingly as he handcuffed Roi’s wrist to a railing by the doorway and shoved him onto the bed. “You get to wait _here_. Don’t worry, we’ve got something _very_ special for you and your _friends_. _Especially_ the Light-bearer.” And he left.

Roi watched the clown go, and he hated that he was locked up and unable to help his friends. _‘What are the clowns planning?’_ he wondered. _‘What the_ heck _is a Light-bearer?’_

*****

When Colleen saw Roi get grabbed by one of the clowns, she hesitated, and this proved to be a mistake when a clown grabbed her wrist, and started dragging her toward the RV, making her yelp. Now, she knew fighting wasn’t going to help, but she was mentally kicking herself for letting this clown grab her in the first place.

*****

Soon, the clown was shoving Colleen into the RV and onto a seat next to the door, where he handcuffed her wrist to the leg of the table that was directly behind her. “Now, you can be with your friend!” the clown cackled before leaving the vehicle, slamming the door shut.

“Colleen?” Roi asked, peering through the doorway and Colleen was relieved to see that he was alive, but they were still trapped. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” she said, and she tugged on the cuff, wondering how she and Roi were going to get out of there, and what was going to happen to their friends?

*****

Joey and Dawn had seen Roi and Colleen get grabbed by the clowns, but there was nothing they could do for them until they got the rest of their friends somewhere that was, hopefully, safe from the killer clowns. They hurried their friends after Mortimer, who was ushering them into the arcade one at a time while holding the box that was closed once again.

Once the last of their group were inside the arcade, Joey and Dawn were about to follow, when the head clown suddenly wrapped her arms around their necks, pulling them away from the doorway. “No!” they both screamed, reaching frantically for the door handles, and both Curtis and Esther tried to help them, but they were only able to grab the stuffed panda. “Help! Let go!”

They struggled against the head clown as she kept pulling them backwards and not even the toy monkey that Nikita threw could help, and they were only able to watch helplessly as Mortimer pulled their friends back so that he could shut and bolt the doors.

Cackling, the head clown shoved them both down the stairs, making Joey and Dawn stagger in an attempt to keep from face-planting. Just as they regain their balance, she gripped the back of their coats, jamming one of her guns into their backs, making them both yelp in pain as they raised their hands above their heads. “You two are coming with _me!_ ”

Joey and Dawn exchanged terrified looks as the head clown shoved them in the direction of the RV. Great, thirty minutes in and they had screwed up, _and_ had been captured. How were they going to accomplish their mission now?

*****

“Joey! Dawn!” Ro screamed, watching helplessly as her two friends were being herded toward the RV, where she knew Roi and Colleen were already being held. “They got them! Joey! Donny!”

“They’re taking them to the murder van,” said Matt, shaking his head in frustration. “Oh, this is terrible.”

*****

The head clown was dancing behind her captives, enjoying herself as she forced them toward the RV, where other clowns were waiting to open the door. “Get in the RV!” she ordered once the door was open, and she pushed them toward the opening.

“Omigod!” Joey gasped fearfully as he and Dawn climbed inside and passed Colleen.

“Help me, please! Help me!” she begged when she saw them, and gulped when the head clown entered, still holding the gun.

“I can’t! I can’t!” Joey moaned, wishing that he could, but he couldn’t at that very moment.

The head clown cocked her gun and poked Joey and Dawn in the backs again. “Go to the stairwell!” she ordered, poking them to get them to move to the front of the RV.

“Ok!” Joey yelped, moving forward with Dawn at his side. “I’m going! I’m going!”

“Don’t hurt us!” Dawn yelped, positive that she was going to have a bruise on her back before long. “Don’t hurt us! We’re moving! We’re moving!”

Roi, who’d been sitting on the bed, stood when he heard their voices and peered through the doorway. “Joey! Donny!”

*****

Once they were in the front of the RV, the head clown forced Dawn down next to the railing of the stairwell that lead up to the second level of the RV, where she was immediately handcuffed to the railing, and she couldn’t help but wince at the cold metal as it was tightly closed around her wrists. And because it was a cramped space, her legs were curled against her stomach.

The head clown then forced Joey down on the floor next to the driver’s seat, and she handcuffed him to the steering wheel, locking his wrists into place. She then crouched down, grabbed his face, and stared directly into his eyes with a demented smile on her face.

“The Carnival Master will be released at sunrise," she declared maliciously while stroking his left ear, "and this whole damn town is gonna _burn!_ ” She then licked the left side of his face, making him shriek while leaving some of her red lipstick on his cheek.

She then turned her attention to Dawn, who was looking terrified and she tried to shift away from the clown, but she couldn’t get very far because of the handcuffs. The head clown cackled as she moved forward and grabbed the brunette’s face so that they were nose-to-nose, enjoying the fact that she was _so_ scared.

“Did you _really_ think you both could save this town, Light-bearer?” she sneered in a low voice, enjoying the girl’s alarmed expression. “You were _wrong!_ ” She then licked the brunette’s face for good measure, earning another shriek and leaving lipstick on her right cheek, too.

The moment that the head clown was gone, Joey and Dawn looked at each other, wondering how they were going to get out of there. And were their friends still safe? And yet, there was one thought going through both of their minds. _‘Here we_ go _again.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't looking good for the team. And for the record, in the show, Joey had no idea that he was going to be grabbed from behind like that, or that he was going to get licked by the killer clown, and so he really was letting out real yelps of fear the whole time. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	10. CHAPTER NINE: FERRIS WHEEL ESCAPE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> The clowns have invaded! The group is split! What will happen next? Onward!

**CHAPTER NINE: FERRIS WHEEL ESCAPE**

*****

Thirty minutes ago, Joey and Dawn entered the town of Everlock with their eleven friends, finding a retro carnival filled with oddly happy people until Joey opened a jack-in-the-box he’d received from a creepy clown. Now, a deadly silence had fallen over the carnival and the town people were either lying on the ground, dead, or had fled to find safety in their homes from the killer clowns.

The group had been split: Joey, Dawn, Roi, and Colleen were locked in an RV, having been captured by the clowns. Hiding in the arcade were Nikita, Manny, Curtis, Esther, Safiya, Teala, Jc, and Mortimer. Meanwhile, Matt and Ro were still stuck on the top of the ferris wheel, which gave them a view of everything that’d happened below on the ground.

That was thirty minutes ago.

*****

Still stuck on the ferris wheel, Matt and Ro were peering over the sides and watching the clowns that were gathered outside the RV, where they knew that Joey, Dawn, Roi, and Colleen were being held, and they weren’t sure of what they could do from their current location.

Ro watched the clowns and then looked at Matt, having an idea. “Why don't we try to distract the clowns so they can get out of the van?” she suggested.

Matt glanced down at where the head clown was ordering the other clowns to gather around and, after weighing their options, looked back at her. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“I mean, what do you think?” Ro asked him. “Are you pretty impressed?” And he nodded.

They peered down at the clowns, who were laughing and talking about how much fun they were having in killing people, and then the head clown said something that left the two YouTubers confused. “We got _four_ of the brats right now,” she cackled, “and one of them just _happens_ to be the Light-bearer! Let’s get the rest of their friends!”

“Light-bearer?” Matt repeated and exchanged a perplex look with Ro while a large group of clowns headed toward the arcade, where most of their friends were currently hiding. “What the heck is a Light-bearer?”

Ro shrugged and glanced down at the remaining clowns. “No idea, but this might be our only chance to distract the remaining clowns,” she pointed out. “Throw something to distract them. Throw your horse.”

Matt shook his head and held Blanche close. “No.”

“Fine,” Ro said with a determined expression and held up Blueberry, hating that she was going to have to give up her doggy. “You won’t do it? I will! Bye, Blueberry!” And she threw her stuffed dog toward the ground below.

Matt stared in shock. “What are you-?”

“I got a gift!” shrieked a tall female clown that was armed with a sledgehammer, and she was holding the toy dog in one hand. “It’s a puppy!” She looked up at the top of the ferris wheel, spotting the two YouTubers, and she cackled as she stuffed the toy dog into her belt while heading toward the control box at the base of the ride.

“Ok,” Ro whimpered, positive that she’d made a serious error in judgement by throwing her doggy.

“Go let them down!” the female clown bellowed and a second clown hurried to the control box, which he managed to unlocked, and he activated the ride.

“Oh no!” Matt yelped as the ride starting moving again, and their passenger car started moving forward, heading toward the ground, and he pulled both Ro and Blanche close. “No!” And they continued toward the ground, where the female clown was waiting for them, her sledgehammer at the ready.

“I wanna _taste_ you!”

Matt _so_ didn’t want to know what she meant by that, and he _really_ didn’t want to be pancaked by the sledgehammer either. “Oh crap,” he moaned, wondering how he and Ro were going to avoid the killer clown when they reached the ground.

“Feel the sledgehammer!” the female clown called out, cackling.

Just then, their car reached the base of the ferris wheel, which stopped, and when the safety bar was released, Matt and Ro both made a show of struggling to get out, hoping to buy themselves some time, and, Matt was hoping, let Ro be able to escape.

“Oh, oh, I’m having a really hard time getting out of here," Matt said, fumbling around in the passenger cart in an effort to buy them more time, and Ro was helping by pretending to have troubles pulling the blanket free. "Oh, this is so hard. Oh, we're not stalling at all.”

Suddenly, Calliope appeared, now wearing a grey shawl around her shoulders, and she began beating the female clown with a crowbar, knocking her out cold as Matt and Ro both avoided the second clown by shoving him to the ground, and Matt made a point of kicking him in the head to knock him out.

“Yes! Yes!” Ro cheered and Matt joined in as they reached Calliope after she was done using the female clown as a punching bag. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Calliope straightened and turned to them while catching her breath since it wasn’t easy taking down someone _so_ tall. “She’s a _huge_ bitch.” And then she lead them to a nearby tent to hide.

*****

Once they were safely in the tent and Matt made sure that Ro was okay, glad that they weren’t trapped anymore, he turned to Calliope, surprising the woman by hugging her. “Hey! Omigosh, thank you so much!”

Calliope clearly wasn’t used to being hugged, but when Ro joined in on the hugging, she hugged them both back, glad that she had been able to help them escape the clowns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MatPat and Ro are safe! Go Calliope! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	11. CHAPTER TEN: CLUES AND KEYS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Time to see what's going on in the RV. Onward!

**CHAPTER TEN: CLUES AND KEYS**

*****

Meanwhile in the RV, Colleen glanced over to where she could see Joey, but she couldn’t see the actress. “Joey? You and Dawn ok?” she asked, having heard the shrieks earlier, and she wasn’t sure of what the head clown had done to them.

“We’re fine,” Joey squeaked, and she knew that he was definitely scared, but he wasn’t hurt.

“Just got licked on the face by that freakin’ clown,” Dawn squeaked, and it was clear by her tone that she was on the verge of a panic attack.

_‘Ok, gotta focus on getting out of here,’_ Colleen thought, having seen the actress suffer a panic attack before, and knew that the best way to prevent such an attack, it was best to have her focus on something else. _‘If we can focus on that,’_ she thought, _‘then Dawn will calm down.’_ At least she _hoped_ she could get her friend to calm down since it wasn’t always easy.

“Are you both locked in?” she asked, and when they both confirmed that they were, she nodded and checked the handcuff, noting that it needed a combination or something. “I have numbers,” she announced. “I have numbers. What about you guys? Check the handcuffs.”

Roi checked the handcuff and saw that it had a combination on it, too. “How many?” he asked and when Colleen answered four, he saw that he had the same. “I have four also,” he reported and glanced toward the front of the RV. “How about you, Joey? Donny?”

Both Joey and Dawn checked the handcuffs, which wasn’t easy, and they couldn’t see anything that looked like it needed numbers.

“Where do you see numbers?” Joey asked, confused.

“We don’t have any combinations locks,” Dawn reported. “Looks like we both need a key instead.” _‘Great, the usual find the combination and find the key routine now begins.’_

Joey sighed. “Yeah, we need a key for these cuffs,” he agreed, looking around for something that could help them get out of there.

Dawn was also looking around for something that could help, and she noticed that something white was peeking out from under the blinder above Joey’s head. “Joey, I think I see something above your head.”

“Where?” Joey asked and looked up, spotting the white tip. “There’s something above me.”

“What is it?” Roi and Colleen asked at the same time.

“I don’t know.”

“Can you reach it?” Colleen inquired.

Joey nodded and tried to reach it with his foot. “I can try with my foot,” he grunted, straining and managed to kick it out, and a white square paper fluttered onto his stomach. “Oh! Ok.”

“What is it?” Colleen asked.

Joey tried to reach it with his hands and sighed, realizing that he couldn’t grab it. “No idea.”

“Joey, see if you can pass it to Colleen,” Dawn suggested.

Nodding, Joey managed to get it between his knees, slid it to his feet, and held the paper between them as he scooted until he was almost flat on the floor with his arms above his head. “Colleen, can you grab the paper?”

Colleen twisted in the seat and stretched as far as she could until she managed to grab the paper. “Got it,” she said and while Joey worked on sitting back up, she scooted back to the table that she was cuffed to in order to read the note. “Ok.”

“What does it say?” Joey asked once he was sitting up again.

“‘Lock one: October, Soda, Smoke’,” she read. “And that makes _no sense._ ”

“Look around,” Dawn suggested. “See if there are any numbers that could be connected to those words.”

Colleen nodded, looking around to see that the number 13 on the calendar, which was on October, was circled. “Ok, so October is 13,” she said, twisting the combination to get the first number in. “Which means we need soda…smoke…”

Standing up, Roi spotted some cans of Diet Coke in the sink. “Oh,” he said, pointing to the cans. “So, there’s some soda cans right here.”

“There’s soda behind you as well,” said Joey, spotting some cans on the table behind Colleen.

“How many sodas are there?” Roi wondered and counted the ones that he could see. “Five.”

Colleen spotted a soda can that’d been missed, and she mentally added it to the ones that’d already been counted. “Six!” she exclaimed and put it in the combination. “Soda is six, which just leaves smoke…”

Roi noticed that there were lit candles scattered around and he grabbed a baseball bat that was lying on the counter to point at them. “Candles, the candles could be smoke.”

Dawn wasn’t so sure and looked around the front of the RV, noting that there was an open pack on the dashboard near Joey’s head. “Joey, are those cigarettes?”

Joey craned his head and saw that she was right. “Colleen, there’s cigarettes up here,” he informed her. “Maybe it’s the cigarettes.”

“Ok,” said Colleen. “How many?”

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,” Joey counted. “There’s seven cigarettes.”

Colleen added the last number to her combination, but it wouldn’t open, and she sighed. “It’s not working.”

Roi tried the numbers on his own combination handcuff and it popped open. “That’s mine!” he exclaimed, removing the cuff from his wrist. “Got it!” He moved to where Colleen was and grabbed the note to figure out the second combination. “Ok. ‘Lock two: Milk, Life, Delicates’.”

“Check the fridge behind you,” Colleen suggested and he opened the door, finding three cartons of milk.

“There’s three milks in here,” Roi reported and as she put it into the lock, he looked round again and saw a magazine that said ‘LIFE’ on the cover, which had the number seventeen circled on it. “Life is 17.”

Colleen nodded and put the number into the lock. “Ok, that just leaves delicates.”

Roi looked around with a puzzled expression. “Do we have anything delicate?”

“Check over where you were, Roi,” Joey suggested.

Roi went back to the bed area and opened a drawer, finding female underpants, and he grabbed them to show his friends. “I found some underwear!”

“I _knew_ it was panties!" Colleen cheered. "I _knew_ it was panties!"

Roi grinned at her. "These are delicate!"

"How many?" Colleen asked.

Roi checked what he was holding. "There's two of them.”

"Okay, two," Joey said. "Try two."

"Three, seventeen, two." Colleen punched the numbers into her lock. "That didn't work! What? Am I crazy? What's going on?”

“Roi, see if there are more panties,” Dawn suggested before she started sneezing. “Ugh, it’s _really_ dusty in here.”

Joey started coughing since the dust was getting to him, too. “Ugh, you’re right, Donny,” he agreed. “We’re _really_ in the 70s right now.”

Colleen watched as Roi searched the drawers and the shelves, finding it funny that he was the only guy in the world searching for panties without an ulterior motive. “There’s _gotta_ be more panties. What if it’s the panties that we’re wearing?” she wondered and while Roi was confused, Joey was a bit offended that she somehow knew that he was wearing panties.

“I doubt it, Colleen,” Dawn called out. “Keep searching, Roi.”

Roi nodded and kept searching until he found a bag that had three more panties in it, and he pulled them out, adding them to the first two. “Oh, I found more!” he exclaimed. “Ok, five! It’s definitely five!”

Colleen put in three, seventeen, and five, cheering when it opened, and she got the handcuff off. “It worked! It worked!”

“Yes!” Roi, Joey, and Dawn all cheered.

“We gotta hurry up,” Colleen said, standing up. “We need to find a key to get Joey and Dawn out of here.” And she and Roi started searching the RV, looking for whatever might have the key in it.

Roi soon found a blue case that had a yellow sticky note on it, and he set it on the table, where Colleen read what was on the note. “‘Remember to renew your subscription’.”

Figuring that the combination must mean the circled numbers on the calendar and the magazine, Colleen put the two numbers into the combination lock and it opened. Removing the lock, she opened the case and in side was both a key and a book. Grabbing the key, she hurried to the front of the RV and used it to free Joey.

“Oh, _finally_ ,” Joey sighed once the handcuffs were off his wrists, and he took the key from Colleen and went to free Dawn. “Thanks, Colleen.”

“Welcome.”

Dawn was also relieved when Joey got the cuffs off her wrists, which were a bit sore, and she let him help her up off the floor since she was pretty sure that her legs had fallen asleep from being stuck in the same position.

The good news, was that they were freed, but they were still stuck in the RV, and peering through the windows, they could see several clowns were standing guard. Now how were they going to get pass the clowns?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, how will they get passed the clowns? Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	12. CHAPTER ELEVEN: ARCADE CLUES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Let's see what's going on in the arcade. Onward!

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: ARCADE CLUES**

*****

While all of this was going on, the YouTubers hiding in the arcade with Mortimer were having a serious freak-out session of their own with how all hell had just broken loose in less then five minutes. Somehow in that period of time, they had gone from having fun at the carnival to being in the middle of a horror movie, and it didn’t help that there were killer clowns peering at them by way of the windows.

Plus, they weren’t how they were going to save Joey, Dawn, Colleen, and Roi from the clowns, and they didn’t know if Matt and Ro were still trapped on the ferris wheel.

“What the _hell_ is going on?” Teala demanded, wigging out since she wasn’t a big fan of clowns.

“His mom just got thrown off a building!” Nikita exclaimed, pointing to Mortimer, who was slumped on the couch with a stunned expression on his face, and on the small table in front of him was the box that had started this whole mess. _‘I never should’ve encouraged Joey to open the stupid thing.’_

“Are you ok?” Manny asked the man.

Mortimer didn’t answer right away, clearly still trying to process his mother’s death, and then he straightened up to talk. “They got your friends, huh?” he asked, referring to Joey, Dawn, Roi, and Colleen.

“What about your mom?” Nikita asked.

Mortimer shook his head and stood up, making it clear that he knew that his mom wasn’t alive anymore, and he couldn’t help her. “I mean, my mom was a fighter," he said. "She wouldn't want me to give up now. All of you guys, too."

"Okay," Manny said. "Give up on what?”

“I don’t know!” Mortimer snapped. “Whatever this is!” He picked up the box from the table. “This thing is one of the Carnival Master's artifacts,” he explained. “I didn't realize until your friend, Joey, opened it, but…" He breathed heavily, almost as if it was a painful topic for him. "He's been using them to corrupt this town…I mean…for _years_. My mom always pretended it wasn't happening." He put the jack-in-the-box back on the table, and he pushed his hair out of his face.

_‘This Carnival Master must have something to do with Joey and Dawn’s mission,’_ Teala thought while eying Mortimer. Yes, he had helped them get away from the clowns and he was clearly grieving for his mother, but she also knew that the number one rule that all spies had to follow was “don’t trust anyone”.

“Do you know how we can save our friends?” Nikita asked.

“I mean…” Mortimer said with a shrug and gestured around at the arcade. “This is the clown’s hangout. So…”

“So, we should look around and see if we can find anything that can help us,” Curtis suggested, and they all started searching the arcade.

It didn’t take Nikita very long to find a metal box that she was pretty sure hadn’t been there earlier, and waved her friends over. “Here’s a box,” she said, and on the front was four colored tabs with the letters R, B, G, and Y, keeping the box locked.

“Red, blue, green, yellow,” they recited together.

“Ok,” Nikita said. “So…”

“We have to get into it,” said Manny, finishing the sentence. “If we can find the colors and letters, we can open the box.”

They went back to searching the room for the four letters, and Teala was passing one of the pinball games when something caught her eye. She peered through the glass and saw that the four colored tabs were inside, and on them were clown faces and the letters.

“This is R, B, G, Y,” she announced and her friends joined her, “but this isn’t on. How do we turn this on?”

Curtis duck under the machine to check around and shook his head. “It’s pugged into the outlet, but I’m not finding an “on” switch anywhere,” he reported, rolling back out. “So, we’ll have to search for the answer.”

Nodding, the group started searching the arcade again and when Manny was over by the bulletin board, which was covered with all kinds of flyers, he noticed that one of them was circled. “‘Reminder: Scores get erased at the end of each day’,” he read. “Could this mean something?”

“Why don’t we erase everything and see what’s left?” Nikita suggested.

Manny nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.” Grabbing a pair of erasers from the counter, they hurried back to the pinball machine, which had a chalkboard on the side with names and scores on it, and they quickly erased the whole thing until only three letters remained.

“Tim!” Nikita exclaimed and Manny let out a surprised squawk, covering his own mouth with one hand.

“Erase them all,” Safiya ordered, and soon the group were tracking down every chalkboard that they could find, erasing the contents so that only certain letters were remaining. Looking between them, she realized that they could be put together to make a phrase. “Tap…put them together and they say ‘Tap six times on glass’.” She went to the pinball machine and tapped on the glass six times with her fist. “One, two, three, four, five, six.” And sure enough, the pinball machine powered up.

“Omigosh,” Teala gasped.

“I’m shook,” Manny stated.

“That’s one way to turn something on,” Esther remarked and Curtis agreed.

Nikita took off her jacket and put it on one of the other machines. “I got it,” she said, positive that she could knock down the letters since she _loved_ playing games like these. She started the machine, which _ding_ , and when she tried to hit the ball, it zipped passed. “Dammit!” She then backed away. “Ok, you guys take turns.”

Teala took her turn next and managed to hit one of the letters. Nikita hurried over to the box and saw that the letter that’d been hit had slid down on the box. “It works!”

Encouraged by this, the group took turns with the pinball machine, managing to hit all but the letter ‘R’, and until one of them could hit it, they couldn’t get the box to open.

When it was Manny’s turn, he blew on his hand, pretended to wipe dust off the glass, earning a few chuckles, and he managed to successfully knock the last letter down, enabling the box to open.

“Yeah!” Jc cheered. “That was nice!”

The group gathered around the box and Nikita opened it, finding inside a note and a shiny gear. She took both out and read the note. “‘To restore the Jack-Is-Dead-In-The-Box, its evil parts must be replaced. They're not easily found, but once exchanged, the clowns will laugh no more’.” And on the paper was pictures of the items that they needed to replace.

“Ok, if we can replaced the right parts,” said Curtis, thinking, “then we can get rid of the clowns and save our friends.” And the group all nodded, especially since it looked to be their best option at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question is, how are they going to find the pieces while stuck in the arcade? Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	13. CHAPTER TWELVE: PUZZLES AND A BOOK PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Time to see how MatPat and Ro are doing in the tent with Calliope. Onward!

**CHAPTER TWELVE: PUZZLES AND A BOOK PART ONE**

*****

After hugging Calliope, Matt pocketed his sunglasses while taking stock of what was in the tent, which was filled with all kinds of boxes, a mirror over a vanity, and for some reason, there was also a green toilet. He also realized that he and Ro had managed to hang onto both the blanket and the newspaper from the ferris wheel.

Ro opened the newspaper and they reexamined the front page, wondering if there was anything there that they’d missed the first time before the clowns appeared, and sure enough, they found what looked to be four Joker hats.

“Why are there Joker hats on this newspaper?” Ro wondered.

“So, what would that mean?” Calliope asked.

Setting Blanche down on a camper bed with the blanket, Matt looked around the tent. “Maybe around here?” he suggested and they started searching the tent for the Joker hats, examining nearly everything when he picked up a pillow off the camper bed and found a Joker hat on it as a design. “I got one symbol,” he informed the girls, showing them the pillow. “So it's not actually a hat. It's a symbol.” _‘And a possible clue, but to what?’_

Nodding, Ro kept searching the tent and found a second Joker hat symbol on a bright yellow giraffe piñata that was _definitely_ larger then herself. However, she picked it up and carried it to the center of the room. Setting it down, she found a baseball bat and advanced toward the defenseless giraffe. “Let’s do this!”

“There’s a bat,” said Calliope with a nod of approval. “Perfect.”

“Ro's got some repressed rage from being stuck on the Ferris wheel," Matt warned the woman, having seen his friend angry before. "I'd watch out." And they moved out of the way.

Oh, Ro was _definitely_ feeling rage for the ferris wheel, seeing people getting killed by clowns, and seeing four of her friends being taken by said clowns. Raising the bat over her head, she took a mighty swing and hit the piñata _hard_ , cracking the side.

“Oh!" Matt cheered. "Good swing!"

"There it is, there it is," Calliope repeated with approval.

Ro wasn’t done with the piñata just yet and she kept hitting it with the baseball bat, determined to vent and bash it into pieces. “That’s for taking Joey!” she shouted with each whack. “That’s for taking Dawn!” And when Matt suggest she do one for her dog, she thought of poor Blueberry, and took out the rest of her rage on the poor giraffe until it was just pieces on the ground. “Yeah!”

Tossing aside the bat, Ro and Matt searched the remains of the piñata, finding a small wooden blue piece.

“We need to look inside these objects," Matt said, he grabbed the pillow and, with Ro holding the other end, they played tug-a-war until it ripped apart, white feathers falling out into a pile on the ground. "This is really satisfying, actually." Tossing aside the ripped pillow case, he picked up a handful of the feathers, searching. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yes!" He'd found another wooden piece. "Yes!"

"Yes!" said Calliope, having figured out where to put the two pieces. "The frame!" And she pointed to the mirror, which was adorned with four lightbulbs, and it was missing several pieces.

Figuring that she was right, Matt and Rosanna tok the two pieces they’d found so far and placed them back in their proper spots on the mirror. Above them, two out of the four lightbulbs light up.

Calliope pointed to the lightbulbs. "You see? The light."

"Are you sure?" Ro asked, but then she noticed the lightbulbs. “Oh.”

"Okay," Matt said, noting that they needed to find two more pieces to turn on the remaining lights. "That's two."

They went back to searching the tent, and it didn’t take Ro very long to find the third Joker hat, which was on the lid of a box. She gasped. "Third. It's inside, it’s inside." She opened it, and sure enough, the third piece was waiting for her. "Here it is! Matt! I got another one!"

Matt smiled at her and kept searching. "Awesome. Great.”

Ro added the piece to the mirror frame, turning on the third light, and she looked around the tent, wondering where the fourth piece could be since it seemed like they’d searched the entire tent with no luck. _‘Now where could the final piece be?’_

Matt was wondering the same thing since it felt like he’d turned the entire tent upside down with no sign of the fourth Joker hat, and he was worried that the clowns would find them before they found the final piece. _‘It_ has _to be here,’_ he thought, walking around the tent and then his eyes fell onto the toilet, which neither of them had searched yet. _‘Oh boy.’_ “Have we searched the toilet?”

Shaking her head, Ro flipped the toilet seat open and they both recoiled at the sight of the bowel, which was filled to the brim with poop. On the inside of the toilet lid was the fourth Joker hat symbol, which meant that the final piece was _inside_ the toilet!

“Oh,” Matt groaned, not looking forward to this. “But there’s a clue.”

“Oh, Matt,” Ro moaned, not looking forward to this either.

Calliope headed for the tent entrance with her crowbar. “I’ll keep watch.”

“Oh, yeah! Uh-huh!” Matt said sarcastically, seeing that she was leaving the toilet to them. “Yeah, _now_ you're gonna keep watch! Sure!” He looked back at the toilet and felt sick to his stomach. “Great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh! Not the toilet! Gross! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PUZZLES AND A BOOK PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time to see what's going on with Joey, Roi, Dawn, and Colleen. Onward!

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PUZZLES AND A BOOK PART TWO**

*****

Meanwhile in the RV, Colleen found some wipes and used them to clean the red lipstick off of Joey and Dawn’s faces once they were all in the main area, and Roi told them about what the clown that’d grabbed him had said. “Apparently, they’re wanting to capture all of us and have something very special planned,” he concluded. “Especially for some kind of Light-bearer, whatever that is.”

“Light-bearer?” Colleen repeated and glanced at Joey and Dawn. “What’s a Light-bearer?”

Joey and Dawn both shrugged. “No idea.” And they knew that they were lying by saying that, especially since they both knew full well that the Light-bearer was a who and not a what, but they weren’t about to reveal that just yet.

Roi then showed them the book, having found something on the front page. “This looks to be some kind of journal or something.”

Joey and Colleen read the entry together, which wasn’t hard since it was written in big letters. “‘When the sun rises, my summoning ritual will be complete, and the sacrifices I have made will have been worth it. The corrupted artifacts have given the power I needed to conform the people of this town to vessels worthy of being consumed by the Cursed God’.”

“That woman earlier, Calliope,” said Dawn, recalling what had been said before all hell had broken loose. “She was talking about artifacts, and some kind of spell.”

“The artifacts!” Joey exclaimed, putting the puzzle pieces together. “What if one of the artifacts was the jack-in-the-box?”

“It makes sense,” Roi agreed. “The clowns didn’t show up and start killing people until the box was opened.”

Colleen nodded. “Okay, so if we can collect all the artifacts, maybe we can stop this from happening.”

“If this entry is right,” Dawn said thoughtfully. “Then we’ve only got until sunrise before this ritual is completed. But, how can we find the artifacts while we’re stuck in this RV?” _‘Curses, huh? Oh_ goody _, we get to deal with curses this time.’_

That _was_ a good question. How were they going to get out of the RV that was guarded by killer clowns?

*****

Over at the arcade, the killer clowns were still peering through the windows and calling out to the group of YouTubers hidden inside.

_`“_ _Little scared babies, let us in_ _!”`_ one of the female clowns cackled while beating her meaty hands against the window.

Doing her best to ignore the clowns, Safiya found a drawer at the base of the jack-in-the-box and opened, revealing that there was a dirty gear, a dirty spring, and a dirty turn thingy. “So the things we have to replace are the spring, this turn thing, these little keys, and I think also the guy who lives inside the box.”

Curtis checked the note that’d come with the new gear, which Manny was holding, and he glanced at the contents of the drawer. “Actually, it looks like we only have to replace the gear, the spring, the turn thingy, and the head of the Jack,” he corrected. “The keys aren’t shown on here.”

“You’re right, Curtis,” Safiya agreed. “So, we have the gear, and we need to find the three remaining pieces to replace them.”

Nikita took the dirty spring out and held it up. “You guys wanna take these out and go look for them, or no?” she asked, figuring that they were going to have to leave the arcade at some point to find the remaining pieces and rescue their friends from the clowns, and they couldn’t hide in there forever.

“I think we should keep the pieces together until we can replace them all at once,” Esther suggested, and Nikita, agreeing, put the spring back.

“Look, just hold onto this,” Mortimer suggested, pointing to the note, “and I’ll hold onto _this_ for you guys.” And he picked up the jack-in-the-box off the table.

Although Mortimer had been helpful so far, some members of the group weren’t sure if they could trust him entirely, and why he insisted on holding onto the box was suspicious, too. Just what was Mortimer up to?

*****

Back in the tent, Matt and Ro were still staring at the toilet, dreading what they would have to do in order to find the final piece for the mirror frame.

“It’s gotta be in there,” Ro said, pointing at the toilet.

Matt sighed. “It does.”

“But…” said Ro, glancing up at him. “Why don’t we both do it?”

While Matt didn’t really want to stick his hand inside the toilet, the fact that Ro was offering to help was nice. “Really?” he asked, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket and his shirt. “Together?”

Ro nodded, rolling up the sleeve of her coat. “I can get dirty!” she insisted and, counting to three, they both reached into the toilet.

They both were soon coughing and gagging at both the smell and how the poop felt. It was the most _disgusting_ thing that they had ever touched! But they kept at it, feeling around while doing their level best not to throw up, and then Matt managed to find the final piece. “Ugh. I got it. I got it.”

Calliope, who’d been watching and making faces, was relieved when they both took their hands out of the toilet with the poop-covered piece in Matt’s hand. “Bless you, child.”

“No, problem,” Matt replied, hoping that he wouldn’t throw up, although it felt like his stomach was threatening to do just that. _‘This is the last piece, so that was worth it…I think.’_

Calliope pointed to the waiting mirror frame with her crowbar. “That’s the last light.”

“Ugh,” said Matt, walking around Ro to get to the mirror. “I don't know if the light wants to be installed this way. Here." And he accidentally brushed the poop-stained piece against the back of Ro's dress. "Oh, no!”

Ro’s eyes widened with horror. “Did you just get that on my _outfit?!?_ ”

“I'm _so_ sorry," Matt apologized, wheezing with laughter at the same time.

"Matthew!"

"Sorry! It was _totally_ not on purpose!"

"Matthew, did you just get that on my outfit?!”

While Ro was throwing her fit, Matt managed to clean off the final piece with a cloth, and then he added it to the mirror frame, turning on the final light. “Four lights!” he cheered, and was surprised when a drawer on the vanity popped open. “Oh! It opened something!”

Ro reached into the drawer with her clean hand and pulled out a note and a key with a yellow ball keychain. “There’s a note and a key.”

Matt glanced back at the toilet and realized that they could’ve used a stick instead of their hands. _‘Should’ve thought of that sooner.’_

Now that they had the key and a note, they needed to clean up and find their friends before the clowns found them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, a lot has been discovered. Poor MatPat and Ro. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ESCAPE FAILURE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Let's see if those in the RV can escape or not. Onwards!

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ESCAPE FAILURE**

*****

At the RV, one of the clowns on guard duty was pacing and listening to the bickering going on inside, becoming frustrated by it, unaware that the quartet was doing it on purpose in order to lure him inside. It was Dawn’s idea since she figured that if they could trick at leas _one_ clown inside, then they could probably get past the others that much quicker since there only seemed to be four or five clowns hanging around the RV.

*****

“Guys, we need to make an escape,” Joey said, picking up the baseball bat from the counter, hoping that the clown would fall for the bait and soon. True, he’d never hit anyone with a bat before, but it had been something that he’d wanted to try at least once, and now he was going to get his chance. “We can fight.”

“ _Fight?_ ” Colleen repeated with a shocked expression that probably would’ve tricked people who didn’t know her very well. “We can’t fight clowns!”

“We have to,” Dawn insisted while keeping an eye on the door, seeing movement outside the window. _‘Come on, you know you want to come in here and shut us up.’_ “I rather not _wait_ for these stupid clowns to capture our friends and come back for _us._ ”

“I’m with Joey and Dawn,” Roi agreed, hoping that the plan would work. “I want outta here, and I’ll fight if I have to.”

No sooner were those words said when the pacing clown finally opened the door and barged into the RV. “Screaming like a bunch of goddamn children!” he snarled, only to be knocked out cold by Joey hitting him in the head with the bat.

Grabbing the upper doorframe, Dawn swung herself out, her feet collided with the chest of a second clown that was sent reeling to the ground. Letting go, she landed and rolled to her feet as they ran from the RV, trying to avoid the remaining clowns.

Unfortunately, it turned out that there were more clowns then they first thought, for one managed to grab Roi by his arm, another pounced on Colleen, a female clown wrapped her arms around Dawn, pinning her arms to her sides, and a fat male clown in a yellow jumpsuit managed to get Joey from behind, pinning him with the baseball bat.

“No!”

“Let go!”

“Help!”

“Get off!”

*****

The quartet struggled in the grips of the clowns as they were hauled toward the carousel, where the head clown was waiting with more clowns. “Ooh, look who decided to join us!” she cackled as they were hauled onto the ride, and she grabbed the brunette’s arm tightly while the other female clown let go. “Tie those two up,” she ordered, pointing to Roi and Colleen, and then she pointed to Joey, “and bring him over here.”

Still cackling, the head clown yanked Dawn over to one side of a white horse and tied her wrists behind her to a red pole, using rope this time, and she made sure that the knots were tight, getting a small yelp of pain from her captive. “Oh, you and I are going to have _so_ much fun!” she giggled into the brunette’s ear, making her cringe, and then she went to the other side of the horse.

Taking Joey from the fat clown, the head clown then tied him to the red pole while the same were being done to Colleen and Roi. “Didn’t I tell you that we’d been friends soon?” she asked mockingly.

“We’re _not_ friends,” Joey protested, glaring at her and wincing when she yanked the rope tight around his wrists. “Ow! That hurt!”

“Oh, don’t be a crybaby just yet,” the head clown advised, snickering. “Once we have the _rest_ of your friends, we’re gonna have _so_ much fun! Soon, the _real_ fun will start, for we have something _very_ special for you all!” And she went off with some of the clowns to retrieve the remaining YouTubers.

Colleen tried to look behind her, which wasn’t easy, and called out to the actress. “Nice _plan_ , Dawn.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “So sue me, Colleen,” she grumbled. “We _almost_ got away.”

“Don’t start arguing, you two,” Joey requested, not wanting a fight to start up so soon. “We’ve got more important problems.” And even Colleen had to agree since things weren’t looking good for any of them at the moment.

*****

Meanwhile inside the arcade, the group was distracted by the sounds of familiar shouts and screams. Peering through the blinds on one of the windows, Jc saw Joey, Dawn, Colleen, and Roi being hauled past by a group of clowns. “Oh, wow.”

“Is that Joey?” Teala asked, worried.

Jc nodded. “It’s Joey, Dawn, Roi, and Colleen.”

Esther also peered out the window. “It’s them all right,” she confirmed, “and it looks like they’re being taken to the carousel.” She looked back at her friends. “Guys, we can’t stay here, we gotta help them.”

“Ok, wait,” said Nikita. “Wait, wait, wait.”

Safiya shook her head, her hands balled into fists, for she was done waiting. “Esther’s right, we have to save them,” she agreed.

“We need to get out of this arcade,” Teala agreed.

Mortimer thought that they were nuts, but he went to the doors while still holding the jack-in-the-box. “If that’s what you want,” he said, preparing to open the doors for them after removing the wooden bar that’d been holding them shut.

“Just run,” Safiya instructed her friends as they gathered at the doors, preparing to make a break for it. “Just run.”

Mortimer yanked the doors open and the group bolted outside. Only, they weren’t able to get very far, not even by scattering, for it turned out that the head clown and many of the other clowns had been lying in wait on either side of the door and the building. Both Jc and Teala were grabbed by clowns almost immediately, as was Nikita, and when Manny tried to save her, he got grabbed, too.

Both Curtis and Esther ended up playing the cat-and-mouse game with two of the clowns before they were finally captured, and just when Safiya thought she was going to escape, the head clown managed to grab her arm with a painfully tight grip. “Ow! Let go!”

“Not just _yet_ , sweetie,” the head clown snickered as she pulled Safiya with her toward the carousel, along with the rest of the captives. “Come join the party!” And it didn’t take the clowns very long to tie them all to the red poles on the carousal, leaving two empty spots, and it was clear that they were saving them for two certain MIA YouTubers.

It was only after being tied up that Safiya realized that Mortimer hadn’t been captured, and both he and the jack-in-the-box were missing. _‘Where did he get to?’_ she wondered, once again suspicious of him.

Why did Mortimer just up and run off with the box like that? Was he even on their side?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! Not good! Not good at all! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN: WILL SOMEONE DIE?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Things aren't looking too good for the YouTubers. Onward!

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: WILL SOMEONE DIE?**

*****

Unaware of what was going on outside the tent, Ro picked up the blanket off the camp bed and she worked on wiping herself off on the mattress.

“You’re good!” Matt insisted after several minutes. “Your butt is clean!”

Hoping that he was right, Ro got up and they headed out of the tent with Calliope in the lead with her crowbar at the ready.

*****

However, the second they stepped outside the tent, they found a number of clowns waiting for them. The female clown with the sledgehammer immediately hit Calliope, knocking her to the ground in a stunned heap, and raised the sledgehammer to deliver a second blow to the gypsy.

Ro screamed and Matt grabbed her hand, fleeing for the arcade. “Go! Go!” he shouted as they ran with the clowns giving chase, and he hoped that Calliope would be okay since he’d glimpsed the female clown hitting the woman a second time with the sledgehammer.

*****

Reaching the arcade and finding the doors wide open, which would’ve alarmed Matt if they weren’t already running from killer clowns, he shoved Ro inside. While Ro found a hiding place under one of the pinball machines, Matt was looking for his own hiding place when a bulky clown entered and grabbed him from behind by his arms.

“What? No!” Matt shouted and struggled as the bulky clowned dragged him back outside, where the clowns were waiting, and across the patio toward the carousal, where he saw his friends were tied up. “No! Let go!” He was hoping that they wouldn’t find Ro, but then he heard a terrified scream from inside the arcade and his heart dropped. The clowns had found her! “No! Leave Ro alone!”

Matt kept struggling as the bulky clown hauled him off the patio, across the ground, and onto the carousal, where he was tied to one of the empty poles, with his friends on either side of him. He then saw that the head clown and a fat female clown with a bat that had sharp nails sticking out of it, were dragging Ro out of the arcade with them.

_‘Oh, oh,_ please _don’t let them pull a Negan on her,’_ he thought, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t see Ro suffer the same fate as certain characters on _The Walking Dead_.

*****

Joey and Dawn were devastated to see Matt and Ro getting tied up to the two remaining poles on the carousal by two of the clowns. The entire group had been captured by the killer clowns, and that meant that their odds of escaping weren’t looking very good. It was starting to look like they were all going to die before they could even _complete_ their mission.

Some of the clowns were leering over the YouTubers, making them all cringe with sayings like “Little Orphan Annie’s so cute!” to Ro, and “I can smell your fear” to Nikita.

The whole group was freaking out and cringing with the clowns getting up close and personal to each of them, and it was clear to them that the clowns didn’t see any of them as people, but as playthings. Stuff that they could break and tear apart.

Eventually, the clowns stepped off the carousal and positioned themselves in a semi-circle so that they could face their captives.

The head clown, now holding a pair of deadly-looking knives, was glaring at the group, particularly at Joey and Dawn. “We want our _box_ back, you filthy cretin!” she demanded angrily.

“Well, we don’t have it,” Joey responded, unsure of where it’d gotten to after the clowns showed up, and he wasn’t about to remind this particular clown that she’d given the box to _him_ in the first place.

“You _stole_ it from us!” the head clown screamed.

_‘Yeah right,’_ Joey thought, but he twisted to look at his friends. “Who has the box?” he asked, hoping against hope that it hadn’t been lost since it was one of the artifacts they needed for the mission.

“Mortimer,” Manny answered. “Mortimer has it.”

“Well, where’s Mortimer?” Dawn asked and when she was told that he’d disappeared with the box outside the arcade shortly after they were captured, she groaned. “Great, _just_ great.” _‘We had one of the freakin’ artifacts and now it’s_ gone _!’_

_‘This is my fault,’_ Joey thought. _‘I shouldn’t have open that box, and now we’re all going to die because of me. So much for getting my life back, and so much with being with Daniel.’_

The head clown started talking and gesturing to a green-haired male clown that didn’t have a shirt on, which meant that they could see his six-pack, and he was holding up a pair of large red dice that he was waving in the air.

“We're gonna roll our Dice of Death,” she explained, pointing a knife at the group, “and whoever's number comes up, I gut 'em! I gut 'em right here in front of your friends! Unless…" She cackled. "Unless Luke rolls a twelve, and then, then I let one of you go! Do you feel lucky?”

The head clown sneered as some of the YouTubers voiced hope that Luke _would_ roll a twelve, and she turned to the bulky clown, who was holding a square device with a big red button. “Here we go!” she cackled and pressed the button.

The carousal started spinning fast, making the group scream with terror since it was going faster then any of them had ever wanted to go on that particular ride, and many of them started pleading and crying to be let off.

“No! No!”

“Stop the ride! Stop the ride!”

“Let us off! Let us off!”

“Too fast! Too fast!”

“I don’t want to die!”

But their cries were falling onto deaf ears since the killer clowns were laughing, cheering, and jeering at the group as they spun past.

Both Joey and Dawn shut their eyes in defeat, which didn’t help with the speed that they were being spun, but they couldn’t bear to watch any of their friends die. They had gone through this hell _twice,_ and now, it looked like one of them were going to die before they could collect the artifacts and stop the Carnival Master.

_‘This is it,’_ Joey thought dejectedly. _‘One of us is going to die, right here, right now.’_

To Be Continued…

*****

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's been captured! Now, remember that this took place in 2018, so Joey and Daniel are still together and don't break up until 2020. Bye for now! R&R everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, Joey and Dawn are in for the long haul. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


End file.
